Colombian senator and 2026 presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay was seriously wounded in a suspected assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Bogota on Saturday.
The 39-year-old member of the right-wing Democratic Center party was addressing supporters when he was shot in the head around 5 p.m. local time, according to a statement released by the party. Uribe was immediately rushed to the hospital and remains in critical condition. Authorities confirmed that one suspect was arrested at the scene.
“We strongly condemn the grave attack against Senator and presidential pre-candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay,” the Democratic Center stated on X, labeling the shooting as a politically motivated act.
President Gustavo Petro responded with a forceful statement, calling for a full investigation to bring those responsible to justice. “My sympathy to the Uribe and Turbay families. I do not know how to lessen their pain,” he wrote on X, describing the assailants as “scum of humanity.”
Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia also weighed in, saying: “Violence must never be the path… I truly hope Miguel Uribe is safe and out of danger.”
— 🇺🇦Pabloprez (@PaPe2021) June 8, 2025
Uribe, a prominent critic of the current government, launched his presidential campaign earlier this year. This incident is among the most serious acts of political violence Colombia has seen in decades, with no similar attacks on a national political figure since the turbulent era of Pablo Escobar in the early 1990s.
