March 24 (Reuters) - Colombia's attorney general on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for the top leadership of the Segunda Marquetalia rebel group over the 2025 assassination of senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe.
The warrants target seven individuals, including veteran guerrilla leaders Ivan Luciano Marin Arango and Gener Garcia Molina, better known by their aliases Ivan Marquez and Jhon 40, respectively, for their alleged roles in what authorities termed a "magnicide" aimed at destabilizing the country's democracy.
Security sources believe Marquez and several other suspects tied to the case to be in hiding in neighboring Venezuela.
Uribe, a member of a prominent political family and a lawmaker for the right-wing opposition, was shot in Bogota in June 2025 as he spoke at a public campaign event ahead of elections this year.
The attack was the worst outbreak of political violence in nearly two decades and evoked memories of the turbulent years of the 1980s and 1990s, when four presidential candidates were murdered in separate attacks blamed on drug cartels.
Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo said the June 2025 shooting in Bogota was a "structured criminal operation" involving a hired urban gang. Investigators identified Kendry Tellez as the primary coordinator who allegedly organized a 1 billion peso ($250,000) payment for the hit during meetings held near the Venezuelan border.
"The murder of Dr. Uribe Turbay was motivated by political-instrumental reasons linked to his functions as a senator and candidate," Camargo said, yet provided no further details and did not explain what the political reasons behind the attack could have been.
The announcement marks the final phase of an investigation that has already seen nine people prosecuted.
Among those convicted is Simeon Perez, sentenced to over 22 years for acting as a liaison between the rebel leadership and the urban assassins. Two others received 21-year sentences for surveillance and logistics, while a 15-year-old minor, the identified shooter, was sanctioned under juvenile laws.
The suspects face charges including aggravated homicide and conspiracy.
Segunda Marquetalia is a dissident faction of the now-demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Its leaders initially signed a 2016 peace deal but returned to arms three years later, citing unfulfilled government promises.
The group began new peace talks in 2024 as part of President Gustavo Petro's efforts to end 60 years of internal conflict.
(Reporting by Natalia Siniawski, Editing by Andrea Ricci )
