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Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay is in critical condition after being shot three times, twice in the head, during a campaign rally in Bogotá on Saturday. The 39-year-old senator and member of the right-wing Centro Democrático party was addressing supporters in a public park when the attack occurred.
According to the attorney general’s office, a 15-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene. The minor was reportedly carrying a 9mm Glock-type firearm and was injured in the leg during a police chase. Authorities have launched a full investigation into the attack.
Uribe’s wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, made a public appeal for prayers, saying, “Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him.”
The senator was immediately airlifted to the Santa Fe Foundation hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery on his head and left thigh before being placed in intensive care. Doctors have described his condition as extremely serious.
The attempted assassination has sent shockwaves through Colombia’s political landscape, drawing widespread condemnation. Uribe’s party called the incident a direct assault on “democracy and freedom in Colombia.”
President Gustavo Petro, a left-wing leader and political rival of Uribe, denounced the attack in a national address, saying, “There was a political difference between Uribe and the government, but it was only political. What matters most today is that all Colombians focus with the energy of our hearts… on ensuring that Dr Miguel Uribe stays alive.”
Petro also acknowledged that his government’s “total peace” initiative has faltered, with a surge in violence undermining efforts to negotiate with armed groups. In recent months, Colombia has seen dozens of security personnel killed and tens of thousands displaced due to ongoing conflict, especially in the northern Catatumbo region.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attack as a “direct threat to democracy,” blaming it on “violent leftist rhetoric” in Colombia, though he offered no specific evidence.
The assault on Uribe has brought back painful memories of Colombia’s turbulent past, when drug cartels and political violence plagued the nation. Uribe himself is the son of journalist Diana Turbay, who was killed in 1991 during a failed rescue mission after being kidnapped by Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel.
Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán, speaking at the vigil held outside the hospital, urged Colombians not to return to an era of political violence. “We cannot return to situations where violence was used to eliminate those who thought differently,” he said.
Uribe announced his presidential bid in October 2024 and has served in the Senate since 2022. His shooting marks one of the most serious acts of political violence in recent Colombian history, raising concerns about security ahead of the 2026 general elections.
