Colombian presidential hopeful in critical condition after being shot during assassination attempt
A Colombian presidential candidate was shot in the head at a campaign rally in the capital city of Bogotá on Saturday.
Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was talking to a group of about 250 residents in Fontibon neighborhood when two shooters, including a 15-year-old boy, opened fired, the National Police said.
The lawmaker was shot between the head and neck and was rushed to in ambulance to a neighborhood clinic, where he was stabilized. He was later transferred to Fundación Santa Fe Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
Disturbing video footage showed Uribe Turbay addressing how we would handle mental health crisis when he crashed to the ground as three shots were fired. At least four more shots followed as the shocked crowed dispersed.
A separate video showed three men holding the presidential hopeful and adding pressure to the wound on his neck and head while a multitude of people screamed and cried for help.
A surveillance video showed the teen suspect racing out of the park and running down a street as Uribe Turbay's bodyguards chased after him.
A second video showed the teenager hobbling towards a gated residential complex and then turning around to aim his gun at the guards.
'Respect life, that's the red line,' Colombian 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.
His office condemned the cold-blooded assassination attempt in a separate statement.
'The National Government categorically and forcefully rejects the attack that recently targeted Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay,' the statement said.
'This violent act is an attack not only against the senator's personal integrity, but also against democracy, freedom of thought, and the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia. Any act that seeks to silence those who participate in public life through intimidation or violence is unacceptable and deserves the deepest condemnation from the state and its citizens.'
Uribe Turbay's conservative Democratic Center party released a statement calling the the attack 'an unacceptable act of violence.'
Former president Alvaro Uribe, who founded the right-wing party and is of no relation to Uribe Turbay, denounced the shooting.
'They attacked a hope for the nation, a great husband, father, son, brother, a great colleague,' President Uribe wrote on X.
'We pray to God for Miguel's recovery. We place our trust in the doctors, the Armed Forces, and the justice system. We appeal to the public for reflection.'
Colombian police chief General Carlos Triana said that at the time of the attack Uribe Turbay was accompanied by Councilman Andrés Barrios and 20 other people.
The teen was apprehended at the scene and is being treated for a leg injury, he said. A firearm was also seized.
'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.
The federal government said it was offering a reward of about $729,000 for the capture of those responsible.
Senator Uribe Turbay is the son of a journalist Diana Turbay, 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, the end of the current term of Petro, the first leftist to come to power in Colombia.
Uribe Turbay announced his presidential bid in March.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
30 minutes ago
- BBC News
Paralysed councillor defeated by one vote plans to stand again
A councillor who lost his seat at this year's local elections while recovering from a rare condition that left him paralysed has said he plans to have his name on the ballot in four years' Pardy had represented Sundorne and Old Heath for Labour on Shropshire Council since 2013, but lost to Reform's Mandy Duncan by a single vote in May. The election came after he collapsed at home in December with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare condition that affects the nervous system, leaving him unable to fully campaign. Mr Pardy said, while disappointed with the result, he was determined to stand again at the next election. "I really was disappointed, knowing I'd lost by a vote," he told the BBC. "It was a miserable night. "It was so close - I'd have preferred to lose by 201 votes, but I look forward to the next election." 'Extraordinarily frightening' It is not known what causes Guillain-Barré syndrome and it affects patients' senses and movement, as well as their breathing and heartbeat, according to the NHS."When I first contracted it, I can't remember what happened," Mr Pardy said. "I was put into an induced coma, I wasn't aware of what was happening."But he said it was "extraordinarily frightening" for his wife, a nurse of more than 40 years, who feared he could die."I was in a pretty bad way," he said, and was in hospital until March when he was moved to a rehabilitation centre in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. "I realised the election was coming up, so I turned to my Labour colleagues who worked so hard," Mr Pardy said. Meanwhile, he did what he could to campaign using social he lost his unitary council seat, Mr Pardy won his seat on Shrewsbury Town Council - again by a narrow margin of just two votes. Since then, he has almost fully recovered use of his upper body and is starting to walk with a said the support he had received had been "tremendous"."I got support from people right across the parties. "People are substituting for me on my committees and I'm waiting on a laptop so I can join remotely."The 66-year-old said getting back to his work in the community, as well as his family, is driving his recovery."As a town councillor, there's plenty to be getting on with," he said."It's going to be difficult, but if I can, I will."
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Ecuador national assembly passes gang-fighting reforms
QUITO, June 7 (Reuters) - Ecuador's National Assembly on Saturday approved a reform backed by President Daniel Noboa to arm the government with new legal powers to confront armed groups and dismantle the drug-trafficking networks that fuel their criminal enterprises. The bill was backed by 84 of the 141 lawmakers who were present in the legislature. Forty-six lawmakers voted against it, 10 abstained and one turned in a blank vote. Noboa, 37, who began a full four-year term last month, declared an "internal armed conflict" in January 2024 against criminal gangs, just a couple of months after he was first inaugurated as president. Since declaring the campaign against gangs, Noboa has issued emergency decrees, opens new tab to put military boots on the ground alongside police, significantly ramping up security forces. He has also overseen an increase in prison sentences for drug-related crimes and is pursuing closer collaboration with the United States and other nations for intelligence sharing and resources. The new legal framework gives Noboa more freedom to redirect resources toward crime-fighting measures. He will also have the power to pardon police and military personnel for their conduct in security operations. Officers under criminal investigation will also avoid pre-trial detention but will be subject to evaluations every six months, according to the approved text. The reforms as well introduce penalties of up to 30 years for fuel theft, which costs hundreds of millions of dollars for the oil industry. Authorities say this crime, along with illegal mining, has grown in recent years and is a key source of funding for criminal gangs. Assets linked to criminal groups can be directly seized by security forces, a significant shift allowing for more immediate confiscation compared to previous, often lengthy, judicial processes for asset forfeiture. Individuals who lead, belong to, or collaborate with these groups will face prison sentences of up to 30 years. The reforms also include economic incentives for sectors affected by the violence.
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay in 'critical condition' after attempted assassination
A Colombian senator running to be the country's next president was shot and "critically" injured at a campaign rally in Bogota, authorities have said. Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, 39, was targeted during the campaign event in a park in the Fontibon area of the Colombian capital, according to the Attorney General's office. He suffered two gunshot wounds and was seen covered in blood as he was being helped by aides and people in the crowd. According to a medical report at the Santa Fe Foundation hospital, he was admitted there in a "critical condition" and is still undergoing a "neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure". Two other people were injured but the nature of their injuries has not been made public. A 15-year-old male suspect was arrested at the scene and is being treated for a leg injury, police chief General Carlos Triana said. Mr Uribe Turbay, who announced his presidential bid for the right-wing Democratic Center Party in March, was accompanied by a team of 21 people at the time of the shooting, his office said, including councilman Andres Barrios. He was hoping to run in the presidential elections taking place on 31 May next year - and succeed President Gustavo Petro, the country's first leftist leader. His father, who was a journalist, was kidnapped and killed in 1991 during one of the most violent periods in Colombia's history. His wife Maria Claudia Tarazone wrote on X that he is "fighting for his life" and urged Colombians to pray for him. His party described it as an "unacceptable act of violence", while US secretary of state Marco Rubio condemned it in the "strongest possible terms". Writing on X, Mr Rubio also urged Colombia's current president to "dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials". Former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, who is not related to Mr Uribe Turbay, said the gunman had "attacked the hope of the country, a great husband, son, brother, and a great colleague". He cancelled a planned trip to France due to the "seriousness of the events", his office said in a statement, with law enforcement officials offering a reward to help prosecute the perpetrator. Messages of support poured in from elsewhere in Latin America, with Chilean President Gabriel Boric saying: "There is no room or justification for violence in a democracy," and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa adding: "We condemn all forms of violence and intolerance."
