Colombian opposition senator and 2026 presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe was critically injured after being shot during a campaign event in the capital city on Saturday.
The 39-year-old was rushed to intensive care after sustaining a bullet wound, reportedly to the neck or head, while addressing supporters in western Bogotá.
Dramatic footage circulating on social media captured the horrifying moment gunshots rang out mid-speech. Uribe was later seen slumped against a car, visibly bloodied, as bystanders attempted to assist him.
Authorities confirmed that a 15-year-old suspect has been taken into custody. However, Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo noted that the suspect’s role is still being verified.
Political Shock and Condemnation
The leftist government of President Gustavo Petro strongly condemned the assassination attempt, calling it “an attack not just on Uribe, but on Colombia’s democracy itself.”
“This act of violence is an attack on democracy, freedom of thought, and the legitimate exercise of politics,” said the presidency in an official statement.
Uribe, a member of the right-wing Democratic Center party, is a vocal critic of the Petro administration. His party said he was shot from behind by an armed individual, calling it a threat to the nation’s democratic fabric.
Former President Álvaro Uribe, the party’s leader and a political heavyweight, described the shooting as an assault on “a hope for the country.”
A Political Legacy Marked by Tragedy
Miguel Uribe hails from a prominent political family. His grandfather, Julio César Turbay, served as President of Colombia from 1978 to 1982. His mother, Diana Turbay, was a respected journalist who tragically died in 1991 during a failed military operation to rescue her from captivity under Pablo Escobar’s Medellín Cartel.
Uribe himself served as Bogotá’s government secretary, later ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2019, and became a senator in 2022.
Investigation Ongoing
Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez stated on X (formerly Twitter) that a reward of $700,000 has been announced for any leads related to the attack’s planners.
Authorities are still investigating whether the teenage suspect acted alone or was part of a broader plot.
