WorthyNews: Colombian Senator and Presidential Hopeful Miguel Uribe in Critical Condition After Assassination Attempt

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by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, a leading opposition voice and declared candidate for the 2026 presidential election, is in critical condition after being shot three times–twice in the head–during a campaign event Saturday in Bogotá.

The attack took place in a public park in the capital’s Fontibón neighborhood while Uribe, 39, was addressing supporters. Panic erupted as shots rang out, and graphic videos circulating on social media show a bloodied Uribe on the ground as bystanders rushed to stop the bleeding.

He was airlifted to the Santa Fe Foundation Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for head and leg wounds. Hospital officials confirmed Sunday that Uribe remains in intensive care in extremely serious condition.

A 15-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene. According to Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office, the youth was carrying a 9mm Glock-style firearm and was shot in the leg by police during the pursuit. Authorities are now focused on determining who may have ordered or financed the attack.

Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez called it a “vile attack” and announced a reward of 3 billion pesos (approximately $730,000) for information leading to others involved. “We will not rest until those behind this are brought to justice,” he said.

President Gustavo Petro, addressing the nation, acknowledged his political differences with Uribe but urged Colombians to unite in prayer and support for the senator’s recovery. “What matters most today is that all Colombians focus with the energy of our hearts… on ensuring that Dr. Miguel Uribe stays alive,” Petro said.

Uribe’s wife, María Claudia Tarazona, also issued a statement pleading for prayer: “Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him.”

The attempted assassination sent shockwaves through Colombia, a nation still grappling with a long history of political violence. Uribe is affiliated with the conservative Centro Democrático party, founded by former President Álvaro Uribe (no relation), and has been a vocal critic of the Petro administration. His party condemned the shooting as a direct attack on “democracy and freedom in Colombia.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded sharply, calling the shooting a “direct threat to democracy” and pointing blame at what he described as “violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government.”

Uribe comes from a prominent political family. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by men working under Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel and died in a failed rescue attempt in 1991. His father was a businessman and union leader with ties to Colombia’s historic Liberal Party.

Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán, visibly emotional, warned that the country must not return to “times when violence was used to eliminate those who thought differently.” Candlelight vigils have since formed outside the hospital, with supporters praying and waving Colombian flags.

With investigations ongoing and the motive still unclear, the incident has rekindled fears of Colombia’s dark past and threatens to reshape the country’s political landscape as it approaches the 2026 election.

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