BOGOTÁ: Colombia’s leftist leader claimed Monday that a gravely injured presidential candidate’s security detail was “strangely reduced” before he was shot, stoking suggestions of an elaborate plot.
Conservative senator Miguel Uribe, 39, was shot twice in the head at close range by a 15-year-old alleged hitman while campaigning Saturday in Bogota.
The brazen attack has stunned Colombians and prompted febrile speculation about who was responsible.
Authorities allege the suspect was a hired gun, but admit they still have few clues about who hired him or their motive.
The Glock pistol he is alleged to have used was purchased legally in the US state of Arizona in 2020, according to police chief Carlos Triana.
With Uribe fighting for his life in the hospital, Petro did little Monday to lower the political temperature.
The president took to social media to accuse some opponents of politicizing the tragedy.
He also claimed that the number of bodyguards assigned to Uribe had been “strangely reduced” from seven to three on the day of the attack, while calling for a full investigation.
Petro said he himself was the subject of a bounty taken up by “dark forces” and neo-nazis, and was the target of an “extraction” plot pitched to Israeli foreign intelligence agency Mossad.
Petro’s opponents have accused the pugilistic left-wing leader of creating fertile ground for political violence.
Petro has denied such allegations and joined politicians from across the political spectrum in denouncing the attack on Uribe.
Explanations
The head of Colombia’s National Protection Unit, which is charged with protecting public figures, said three agents and four police officers protected Uribe on the day he was shot.
Augusto Rodriguez admitted “there were fewer people than there should have been” at the time of the attack because some had been working long hours the previous day.
Lawmakers in Colombia usually have a detail of seven bodyguards and a motorcade of two armored cars, according to government officials.
Rodriguez, a close confidant of Petro and fellow ex-M-19 guerrilla, insisted that a police officer was responsible for security coordination.
Meanwhile a lawyer for Uribe lodged a criminal complaint against Rodriguez, stating there had been more than 20 requests to strengthen his client’s security detail that had gone unheard.
