Prominent Colombia Senator ‘fighting for life' after shooting: What to know

Al Jazeera

a day ago

Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe is 'fighting for his life' after being shot during a campaign rally in the capital, Bogota.
The assault took place on Saturday in a park as the country gears up for next year's presidential election. Uribe, a 39-year-old senator, was shot twice – in the head and the chest, according to Colombia's Attorney General's Office.
The suspect is a 15-year-old who is in custody.
Here is what to know about the incident and Uribe's current status:
Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, who is seeking to run in the 2026 presidential election, was shot from behind at a campaign rally about 5pm [22:00 GMT] at El Golfito Park in Bogota's Fontibon district.
A video verified by The New York Times shows Uribe being shot in the middle of his speech. Images from the scene of the shooting showed Uribe slumped against the hood of a white car, smeared with blood, as a group of men tried to hold him and stop the bleeding.
According to local media reports, he was first stabilised at a nearby clinic before being airlifted to the Santa Fe Foundation hospital. The hospital confirmed he arrived about 8:30pm on Saturday [01:00 GMT Sunday].
A security guard managed to detain the suspected attacker, a minor who is believed to be 15 years old. National Police Director Carlos Fernando Triana said the suspect was injured and was receiving treatment.
Two others – a man and a woman – were also wounded. But no details were available regarding their identities.
Uribe is stable but still in critical condition after emerging on Sunday from a 'neurosurgical' and 'peripheral vascular procedure', according to the hospital.
He 'overcame the first surgical procedure', Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan told the media, adding that he had entered 'the critical hours' of recovery.
'He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his life,' Uribe's wife was heard saying in an audio recording shared with the media.
Uribe was elected as senator in 2022 under the conservative Democratic Centre party, founded by former President Alvaro Uribe, whom he is not related to.
The former president described the shooting as an attack against 'a hope for the country'.
His maternal grandfather, Julio Cesar Turbay Ayala, served as president from 1978 to 1982. He is also the son of journalist Diana Turbay, who was kidnapped in 1990 by Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel. She died in a botched rescue operation by Colombian forces a few months later.
Uribe has held several public offices, including Bogota City Council member (2012–2015) and government secretary of Bogota (2016–2018). He also ran for the capital's mayor in 2019 but lost that election.
The Attorney General's Office confirmed a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene with a '9mm Glock-type firearm'. Witnesses had also described seeing a young assailant open fire from behind Uribe before being subdued by bodyguards and civilians.
The suspect remains in custody with investigations under way to determine if there were any accomplices.
No motive has been established, and authorities said there was no specific threat made against the politician before the incident.
But the country is home to several armed groups, powerful cartels and has a long history of political violence.
In the 1980s and 1990s, at least five presidential candidates were assassinated by drug cartels, paramilitaries or political opponents.
One such case was the assassination of Luis Carlos Galan in 1989. Galan was a leading presidential candidate known for his strong anticorruption stance and opposition to drug trafficking. He was widely expected to win the presidency the following year.
A 2016 agreement aimed to bring long-lasting peace to the country by disarming rebels from the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Colombia's next presidential election is scheduled for May, in which current leftist President Gustavo Petro is ineligible to run due to term limits. A run-off will be held if needed.
Uribe, who is a right-wing critic of Petro, announced his intention to run for president in March.
The attack drew strong reactions from both local and international leaders.
Petro pledged an investigation.
'What matters most today is that all Colombians focus with the energy of our hearts, with our will to live … on ensuring that Dr Miguel Uribe stays alive.'
In an earlier statement, Petro condemned the violence as 'an attack not only against his person, but also against democracy, freedom of thought, and the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia'.
'Respect life, that's the red line. … My solidarity [is] with the Uribe family and the Turbay family. I don't know how to ease their pain,' he posted on X.
Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez mobilised military and intelligence resources and announced a reward of 3 billion Colombian pesos ($730,000) for information about the shooting.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement saying the US condemns the attack 'in the strongest possible terms' and considers it a 'direct threat to democracy'. He also called on Petro to 'dial back the inflammatory rhetoric' and protect officials.
Leaders across Latin America also condemned the attack.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric said, 'There is no room or justification for violence in a democracy,' while Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa denounced 'all forms of violence and intolerance'. Both expressed solidarity with Uribe's family.