Colombian presidential candidate and senator Miguel Uribe Turbay remains in critical condition following a shocking assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Bogotá on Saturday.
The 39-year-old was shot three times—twice in the head and once in the leg—while addressing supporters in a park, in what authorities are calling a grave attack on democracy.
Footage circulating online shows the chaotic moment Uribe was shot mid-speech, prompting panic and dispersal of the crowd. Emergency responders rushed him to the Santa Fe Foundation Hospital, where he underwent urgent surgeries to his head and left thigh before being moved to intensive care. The hospital described his condition as extremely serious.
His wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, urged the nation to unite in prayer:
“Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him.”
A 15-year-old suspect, reportedly armed with a 9mm Glock-type pistol, was arrested shortly after the attack. According to the Attorney General’s Office, the suspect was injured during pursuit and is currently in custody. Authorities are actively investigating the motive and potential co-conspirators.
The Centro Democratico party, of which Uribe is a key figure, condemned the attack as an assault on “democracy and freedom in Colombia.” The government of President Gustavo Petro, a left-wing leader often at odds with Uribe, also denounced the shooting, calling it an “act of violence not only against his person, but also against democracy.”
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez offered a 3 billion peso ($730,000) reward for information leading to those behind the attack. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled the shooting a “direct threat to democracy”, attributing blame to “violent leftist rhetoric” in Colombian politics.
Uribe had announced his candidacy for the 2026 presidential election in October 2024. Known for his staunch criticism of Petro’s reform agenda, he recently opposed the government’s efforts to expand executive authority—a disagreement that intensified political tensions in the days leading up to the attack.
President Petro addressed the nation in an emotional speech, acknowledging the political rift but urging solidarity:
“What matters most today is that all Colombians focus… on ensuring that Dr. Miguel Uribe stays alive.”
Uribe comes from a politically influential family. His mother, Diana Turbay, was a journalist who was tragically killed during a failed rescue from Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel in 1991.
Saturday’s attack has stirred memories of Colombia’s violent political past, renewing fears about escalating tensions ahead of the 2026 election and calling into question the nation’s fragile pursuit of peace.
