An alleged assassination plot against Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán, reported earlier this week as part of a media investigation, has been officially dismissed by Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office, which clarified that the claims were based on an out-of-context phone intercept unrelated to any real threat against the city’s top official.
The initial report aired during the evening news on Noticias RCN on July 22. It claimed that Colombian authorities had intercepted a phone call between two alleged criminals in which one of them mentioned hiring a 13-year-old to kill the mayor. The broadcast suggested the call was tied to the investigation into the June 7 armed attack on Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, also in Bogotá.
But on Wednesday, the Fiscalía General de la Nación issued a statement contradicting the news organization and downplayed the contents of the audio as a “joke” exchanged between two drug dealers in Bucaramanga, Santander. According to prosecutors, the intercept is not part of the Uribe Turbay investigation.
“The intercepted call in question is not related to the investigation into the attack on Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay. It did not occur in Bogotá and was not gathered by the authorities in connection with that case,” the Fiscalía said. “It is a conversation between two individuals involved in narcotics trafficking in Bucaramanga. The reference to the mayor of Bogotá appears to be a crude exchange between criminals and should not be interpreted as a real threat.”
The media report has, however, caused real concerns regarding the safety of Galán, son of the 1989 presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento who was gunned down by the Medellín cartel.
In the RCN recording, a man identified by the alias Mono is heard telling another individual: “The hitman in Bogotá fell through, the one I sent to kill the mayor. He fell through in Bosa, he’s 13 years old.” The man then appears to reference a previous operation involving a councilman, claiming that “the kid already did the councilman job, but the bodyguards caught him.”
The supposed link between the intercept and the broader investigation into the attack on Senator Uribe gave the story added weight. In that case, six people have been charged, including a 15-year-old who allegedly fired a 9mm Glock pistol at the senator in the early morning hours of June 7. Authorities have confirmed that the teenager was part of a larger operation involving logistical support from at least five others, including individuals identified by the aliases Gabriela, El Hermano, and El Costeño.
One of those arrested, Cristian Camilo González, who turned himself in to police on July 18, told investigators that the group had discussed a second attack on another public figure protected by an armored convoy of five or six SUVs. That alleged plan, according to González’s statement, would have involved the use of a suitcase bomb. Prosecutors have not confirmed whether any specific person was targeted in that conversation.
The wiretap broadcast by RCN appeared to support suspicions that Bogotá’s mayor was among those on a criminal target list. The report caused a stir among local officials and the public, given the current climate of political tensions and the rising use of minors in organized crime.
Following the news report, Mayor Galán issued a public statement confirming that he had been warned of potential threats in recent weeks. “I trust the investigations and am in permanent contact with the Fiscalía and the National Police,” Galán said. “They are responsible for determining the appropriate measures.”
After the Fiscalía’s clarification, however, it appears that the mayor was not in any immediate danger as a result of the conversation aired by RCN. Prosecutors emphasized the importance of verifying the context and origin of such recordings before drawing conclusions that could cause public alarm.
The Attorney General’s Office also addressed reports that images of Mayor Galán were found on the mobile phone of the teenage suspect in the Uribe attack. Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo explained that the photos were likely stored temporarily due to the phone’s browsing history or social media activity, not as part of any targeting effort.
“Photographs and news reports viewed through applications such as Facebook can remain temporarily cached in internal memory,” Camargo said. “Their presence alone does not imply intent or premeditation.”
Despite the Fiscalía’s efforts to reset the narrative, the episode has highlighted growing concerns over how organized criminal groups are increasingly recruiting minors to carry out violent operations. In both the confirmed attack on Senator Uribe, and so far debunked threat against Mayor Galán, references to teenage gunmen and low-level drug traffickers have also raised alarms about the reach of illegal armed groups into vulnerable urban neighborhoods.
In Bosa, a southern district of Bogotá mentioned in the intercepted call, officials have acknowledged the growing influence of local gangs over adolescents and young adults.
With the Uribe case under investigation, the Fiscalía believes at least ten people may have played direct roles in the June 7 attack against the 39-year-old presidential candidate who remains in intensive care at the Santa Fe Hospital in Bogotá.
