Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay, a possible right-wing candidate in the country’s presidential election next year, is recovering after successfully undergoing surgery following an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Bogota.
The 39-year-old Uribe was speaking to supporters in the capital city when a gunman shot him twice in the head and once in the knee. He was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition and underwent a “neurosurgical” and “peripheral vascular procedure,” the Santa Fe Clinic in Bogota told AFP.
He “overcame the first surgical procedure,” Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan told local media.
Uribe’s wife, in an audio recording shared with the media, said her husband “came out well from the surgery.”
“He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his life,” she is heard saying.
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The attack took place in a park in the Fontibon neighborhood when armed assailants shot him from behind, said the right-wing Democratic Center, which was the party of former President Álvaro Uribe. The men are not related.
The Attorney General’s Office, which is investigating the shooting, said a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene with a firearm. Two others – a man and a woman – were also wounded in the shooting.
“Our hearts are broken, Colombia hurts,” Carolina Gomez, a 41-year-old businesswoman, told AFP.
After the shooting, Uribe’s conservative Democratic Center party released a statement calling it “an unacceptable act of violence.”
Colombia’s government said it was offering a reward for the capture of all those responsible.
“Respect life, that’s the red line,” President Gustavo Petro said in a message posted on his X account. Shortly after making the post, Petro canceled a planned trip to France “due to the seriousness of the events,” according to a presidential statement.
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In a statement Saturday night, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. “condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe.”
Rubio called the shooting “a direct threat to democracy and the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government. Having seen firsthand Colombia’s progress over the past few decades to consolidate security and democracy, it can’t afford to go back to dark days of political violence. President Petro needs to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials.”
Uribe Turbay is the son of a journalist who was kidnapped and killed in 1991 during one of the country’s most violent periods. Colombia will hold a presidential election on May 31, 2026, marking the end of the current term of Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president. The senator announced his presidential bid in March.
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Colombian police chief Gen. Carlos Triana said that at the time of the attack, Uribe Turbay was accompanied by Councilman Andrés Barrios and 20 other people. A minor who allegedly participated in the attack was apprehended at the scene and was being treated for a leg injury, he said.
“I have ordered the Colombian military and police forces and intelligence agencies to deploy all their capabilities to urgently clarify the facts,” said Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Reactions poured in from around Latin America, with Chilean President Gabriel Boric saying, “There is no room or justification for violence in a democracy.” Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said, “We condemn all forms of violence and intolerance.” Both presidents offered solidarity to the senator’s family.
In Colombia, former President Uribe said, “They attacked the hope of the country, a great husband, father, son, brother, a great colleague.”
contributed to this report.