Colombia: Presidential candidate and Senator Miguel Uribe remains in critical condition 16 days after assassination attempt

Senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe remains in the Intensive Care Unit in "critical" condition, according to the official channel of the Fundación Santa Fe clinic in Bogotá, Colombia, where he has remained since he was the target of an assassination attempt on June 7.

The 39-year-old politician was shot three times, two of them in the head, during a political event in a Bogotá park. Uribe underwent a fourth brain surgery on Monday to try to stabilize his condition after 16 days of teetering between life and death..

According to specialists, the senator has received the necessary medical and surgical care in the last 72 hours, such as a tracheostomy and gastrostomy, "relevant to the de-escalation of his critical condition." The clinic reiterated that medical reports will be sent if there is any change in the patient's condition.

Fourth person arrested in Uribe case

Colombian authorities captured a fourth person Thursday who was allegedly implicated in the attack against the senator and presidential candidate, the attorney general's office said.

The new detainee was identified as William Fernando González, a spokesman for the attorney general's office told AFP without giving further details. On Friday, an initial hearing was set up before a judge to legalize his capture.

Local media say that the man was captured by security cameras loitering in the area of the attack. González joins three others under investigation for their alleged participation in the attack, including a 15-year-old teenager who is charged as the possible shooter.

Those allegedly involved in the attack on Uribe

The alleged gunman was arrested minutes after the attack less than a quarter mile from the site after being wounded in the leg by the senator's bodyguards.

Days later, authorities also arrested Carlos Eduardo Mora González, accused of being the getaway driver. On Saturday, a week after the incident, police captured Katerine Andrea Martínez in the Amazon region of Caquetá, who is accused of giving the gun, a Glock 9 millimeter caliber, to the minor who fired the shots.

The three were charged with attempted homicide and illegal possession of weapons. None of them plead guilty to the charges.

A fifth suspect, known only by the alias "El Costeño," remains at large. Media say, citing the interrogations, that the man is key to the investigation, as he knows the identity of the masterminds behind the attack who have not yet been identified.

Uribe's lawyer, Victor Mosquera, says that the progress of the investigation shows that behind the attack is a "structured organization" with "a history of attacks against right-wing leaders."