Colombia: Cell phone of alleged hitman who shot candidate Miguel Uribe disappears with evidence
The director of the Colombian National Police stated that they did not seize the phone when the teenager was apprehended, while the politician remains in critical condition, fighting for his life.
Forensic experts guard the crime scene after the attack on Colombian senator Miguel Uribe.
Almost 48 hours after the attack against Colombian senator and Democratic Center Party candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, investigations into the case have made little progress. Officers have not yet been able to establish who is behind this nefarious act of violence that completely changed the political landscape for the 2026 presidential election, and it seems that the path to finding the real culprits is getting more and more tangled.
Although a 14-year-old was apprehended, and a complaint has been formalized this Monday against him for shooting the congressman, there are still no hypotheses about the intellectual authors of this assassination attempt, which has the 39-year-old politician battling between life and death.
The worst thing is that a key piece of evidence, which was expected to be in police custody, and that could clarify the incident, is missing. The cell phone that was being carried by the teenager disappeared.
Judicial sources warned Semana magazine that over the course of the investigation, the cell phone that the minor was carrying at the time he was captured is gone. No one knows the whereabouts of the device or what happened to it. It is a situation that worries those responsible for the investigation, since the phone could have relevant information.
Crimes and penalties faced by the alleged killer
The attorney general's office charged him with the crimes of illegal possession of weapons and attempted homicide.
The arguments for the arrest are based, in principle, on the immediate accusation of the victim and witnesses. The arrestee's fingerprints were found on the weapon seized, with which he allegedly shot Uribe at close range in his back and hit two parts of his body, including his head and his left thigh.
The maximum penalty for the teenager could be eight years. However, if he works, studies, undergoes psychological monitoring and it is shown that he meets minimum standards of cooperation in these penitentiary establishments, it could be even less.
Fake chats and suspicious videos
A few minutes after the apprehension of the alleged hitman, screenshots of a chat in which the boy allegedly agreed to carry out the attack were released. However, they turned out to be conversations held by other criminals in Medellín which were dedicated to robbing drivers, per Colombian newspaper El Tiempo.
The same media revealed that the teenager told members of the police and the National Protection Unit (UNP) that he would surrender the details of the person who gave him the order to attack Uribe Turbay. However, this has not happened yet.
The media have also highlighted that in one of the recordings of the apprehension of the minor it is evident that a man, apparently a member of the UNP, takes an object out of his pocket, which is reportedly his phone, which sets off alarms because the content of the communications of the device are crucial to be able to find those who ordered the attack.
Shadows cast over the investigation
In addition to this, during the press conference given by authorities, at the end of the extraordinary security council on the events of Saturday afternoon, the director of the National Police, Major General Carlos Triana, said that no phone was found at the site where the attack was perpetrated.
"In the place of the facts there was no cell phone. However, everything that is being indicated is part of the investigation that is being carried out. One with the first responders, because this is a complex scenario because it was a place where there were many people and from that we have been collecting videos, testimonies and statements," said the senior officer.
The irregularities in the investigation have once again shifted attention—following the incident that could cost Uribe his life—back onto members of the presidential candidate’s security detail, a suspicion that, interestingly, has been raised by leftist President Gustavo Petro.
Other evidence gathered after the attack
According to information gathered by the attorney general's office, the weapon carried by the teenager was reportedly a Glock 9 millimeter with an 18-round capacity. The pistol was seized by authorities and placed in the custody of the prosecution, where it will undergo the corresponding analysis.
Likewise, the judicial team sustained that the video record in which he was portrayed, frame by frame, showed the detainee's guilt. The analysis included at least 129 videos of witnesses and security cameras showing the minor and Uribe Turbay in the park El Golfito, in Fontibón.
Update on Miguel Uribe's health status
The latest medical report from the clinic reported Tuesday morning that the Democratic Center Party candidate remains "in critical condition, although he is considered stable."
Hours earlier, doctors had revealed that Uribe was showing "little response to the interventions and medical treatments performed."
Miguel Uribe Turbay's status is guarded and extremely serious, according to doctors who continue to perform all necessary measures "to mitigate the impact of the injuries he received."
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