Colombian authorities have formally issued arrest warrants for seven members of the Segunda Marquetalia rebel group in connection with the assassination of conservative presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe. Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo revealed on Tuesday that the 2025 killing was orchestrated as a “structured criminal operation” involving an urban gang hired by the rebel faction.
The investigation identifies Kendry Téllez, a former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) combatant now with Segunda Marquetalia, as the primary architect of the assassination plot. Notably, prosecutors have also charged Luciano Marín (commonly known as Iván Márquez), the former FARC commander who abandoned the 2016 peace agreement to establish Segunda Marquetalia in 2018, with coordinating the killing operation.
The assassination occurred on June 7, 2025, during a campaign rally in Bogotá when a teenage assailant, allegedly recruited by a local criminal gang, shot Uribe multiple times in the head. Despite immediate medical attention, the presidential candidate succumbed to his injuries two months later.
This development represents a significant setback for President Gustavo Petro’s administration, which had engaged in peace negotiations with Segunda Marquetalia until talks collapsed in late 2024 due to internal divisions within the rebel group. The attorney general’s office has announced a $1.3 million reward for information leading to Marín’s capture, with additional bounties offered for the other six suspects.
The assassination marks the first killing of a presidential candidate in Colombia in thirty years, occurring amid ongoing violence between drug traffickers and rebel groups vying for control of territories vacated by FARC following the 2016 peace accord. With presidential elections scheduled for May, this case highlights the persistent security challenges facing the South American nation.