A Colombian bomb strikes the southwest, leaving a senator critically wounded
The violence in Colombia took a new turn on Tuesday as a string of bombings shook the southwest of the country, and days after being shot in the head at a campaign rally, Senator Miguel Uribe was still fighting for his life.
Armed rebels, paramilitary organizations, and drug traffickers were responsible for decades of dread and violence that the country has experienced, and the episodes have shook the country.
Authorities said that at least seven individuals were killed and over fifty injured by the explosions. Tuesday’s bombing followed the assassination attempt on Uribe, a member of the opposition right-wing Democratic Center party and a possible presidential candidate, but bombings are not unusual in Colombia.
Uribe, 39, was shot on Saturday during a campaign rally in Bogota’s main park. The hospital that is treating him stated on Tuesday that he is still in critical condition.
Outside the hospital, Maria Claudia Tarazona, Uribe’s wife, told reporters, “No family in Colombia should be going through this.” “There is no name for this – it’s not pain, it’s not horror, it’s not sadness.”
The motive behind Uribe’s shooting is being looked into from a number of angles, authorities said Monday. According to President Gustavo Petro, the kid who was arrested provided police with his statement.
A video of the teen’s arrest, which Reuters independently confirmed, shows him yelling that a local drug dealer had hired him.
A voice can be heard yelling, “I did it for the money, for my family,” as the injured suspect tried to flee the scene in a previous video. Reuters confirmed the video as well.
The suspect denied allegations of unlawful firearm possession and attempted murder on Tuesday, according to the attorney general’s office. He might spend up to eight years in a rehabilitation facility rather than jail since he is a child.
Although Petro has not offered specifics or proof, he has generally accused an international criminal organization of being responsible for the attack on Uribe.
The army and police said the Tuesday explosives were probably triggered by a guerrilla group that broke away from the FARC insurgents.
Since the rebels have been using drug trafficking more and more to fund their operations, Interior Minister Armando Benedetti hinted that there might be a connection between the instances, but he offered no proof.
Petro has responded to the attacks by ordering increased security for opposition leaders and government officials.
Petro’s security strategy, which attempted to put an end to six decades of armed conflict, was criticized by Uribe, who claimed that Petro’s tactic of halting offensives on armed groups in spite of the failure of peace talks had only backfired.
At the time of the shooting, the senator was accompanied by two bodyguards provided by the government, the chief of the National Protection Unit said Monday. Victor Mosquera, Uribe’s attorney, said he had requested more on several occasions.
