Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe shot, suspect arrested
BOGOTA: Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe was shot in Bogota on Saturday, according to the government and his party, and local media reported that he was in a local hospital in serious condition.
The 39-year-old senator, who is running for the presidency in 2026, is a member of the opposition conservative Democratic Center party founded by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. The two men are not related.
According to a party statement condemning the attack, the senator was hosting a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighborhood in the capital on Saturday when 'armed subjects shot him in the back.'
The party described the attack as serious, but did not disclose further details on Uribe's condition.
Colombia's Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said a suspect had been arrested in the shooting and that authorities were investigating whether others were involved. Sanchez said he had visited the hospital where Uribe was being treated.
Colombia's presidency issued a statement saying the government 'categorically and forcefully' rejected the violent attack, and called for a thorough investigation into the events that took place.
Uribe is from a prominent family in Colombia, with links to the country's Liberal Party. His father was a businessman and union leader. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by an armed group under the command of the late cartel leader Pablo Escobar. She was killed during a rescue operation.
Colombia has for decades been embroiled in a conflict between leftist rebels, criminal groups descended from right-wing paramilitaries, and the government. Leftist President Gustavo Petro sympathized with the senator's family in a message on X, saying, 'I don't know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a homeland.'
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The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Colombia's potential presidential contender Miguel Uribe shot, suspect arrested
A persin holds a campaign poster at the area where Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay of the opposition Democratic Center party, was shot during a campaign event, in Bogota, Colombia, June 7, 2025. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez BOGOTA (Reuters) -Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, a potential presidential contender, was shot in Bogota on Saturday, according to the government and his party, as his wife said he was fighting for his life in hospital. The 39-year-old senator, who was shot during a campaign event as part of his run for the presidency in 2026, is a member of the opposition conservative Democratic Center party founded by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. The two men are not related. According to a party statement condemning the attack, the senator was hosting a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighborhood in the capital on Saturday when "armed subjects shot him from behind. The party described the attack as serious, but did not disclose further details on Uribe's condition. Videos on social media showed a man, identified as Uribe, being tended to after the shooting. He appeared to be bleeding from his head. Uribe's wife Maria Claudia Tarazona wrote on her husband's account on X that he was "fighting for his life." Colombia's Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said a suspect had been arrested in the shooting and that authorities were investigating whether others were involved. Sanchez said he had visited the hospital where Uribe was being treated. The government is offering some $730,000 as a reward for information in the case. Colombia's presidency issued a statement saying the government "categorically and forcefully" rejected the violent attack, and called for a thorough investigation into the events that took place. Leftist President Gustavo Petro sympathized with the senator's family in a message on X saying, "I don't know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a homeland." Petro later said in a speech on Saturday night that the person arrested was a minor and that the investigation would focus on finding who had ordered the attack. "For now there is nothing more than hypothesis," Petro said, adding that failures in security protocols would also be looked into. The United States' Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that the U.S. "condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination" of Uribe, blaming Petro's "inflammatory rhetoric" for the violence. Uribe, who is not yet an official presidential candidate for his party, is from a prominent family in Colombia. His father was a businessman and union leader. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by an armed group under the command of the late cartel leader Pablo Escobar. She was killed during a rescue operation in 1991. Colombia has for decades been embroiled in a conflict between leftist rebels, criminal groups descended from right-wing paramilitaries, and the government. (Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb, Carlos Vargas, Luisa Gonzalez and Nelson Bocanegra in Bogota; Writing by Lucinda Elliott; Editing by Paul Simao and Michael Perry)
Malay Mail
5 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Right-wing senator Miguel Uribe shot during campaign in Bogota, condition critical
BOGOTA, June 8 — A Colombian right-wing opposition senator and candidate to next year's presidential election was in intensive care yesterday after being shot during a campaign event in Bogota, authorities said. A video circulating on social media shows 39-year-old Miguel Uribe giving a speech in front of several people when gunshots suddenly ring out. In other images he appears slumped against the hood of a white car, smeared with blood, as a group of men try to hold him up. Media reported the suspected shooter was a teenager who had been arrested. Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo told Caracol Radio that Uribe was in 'intensive care.' Local media reported that at least one bullet struck the senator in the neck or head. The government of leftist President Gustavo Petro said it 'categorically and forcefully' condemned the attack on Uribe during the campaign event in the west of the capital. 'This act of violence is an attack not only against his person, but also against democracy, freedom of thought, and the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia,' the presidency said in the statement. Uribe, a strong critic of Petro, is a member of the Democratic Center party, who announced last October his intention to run in the 2026 presidential election. Shot 'from behind' His party said in a statement Saturday that an 'armed individual' had shot the senator from behind. The attack 'not only endangers the life of a political leader, but also threatens democracy and freedom in Colombia,' it said. The party leader, Colombia's influential former president Alvaro Uribe, meanwhile described the shooting as an attack against 'a hope for the country.' Bogota Mayor Carlos Galan said on X that 'the shooter has been captured.' Local media reported that a 15-year-old boy had been arrested and was suspected of pulling the trigger. Attorney General Camargo said she had seen those reports but that the information had yet to be verified. Miguel Uribe is a member of a family with a long political tradition in Colombia. One of his grandfathers was former Colombia president Julio Cesar Turbay, who led the country from 1978 to 1982. And his mother, Diana Turbay, was a renowned journalist who was kidnapped by the Medellin Cartel, led by the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar, and who was killed in a failed military rescue operation in 1991. Uribe himself has been a senator since 2022. He previously served as Bogota's government secretary and city councilor. He also ran for city mayor in 2019, but lost that election. Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X that authorities were offering a reward of around $700,000 for information leading to the capture of those behind Saturday's attack. — AFP
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe shot, suspect arrested
BOGOTA: Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe was shot in Bogota on Saturday, according to the government and his party, and local media reported that he was in a local hospital in serious condition. The 39-year-old senator, who is running for the presidency in 2026, is a member of the opposition conservative Democratic Center party founded by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. The two men are not related. According to a party statement condemning the attack, the senator was hosting a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighborhood in the capital on Saturday when 'armed subjects shot him in the back.' The party described the attack as serious, but did not disclose further details on Uribe's condition. Colombia's Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said a suspect had been arrested in the shooting and that authorities were investigating whether others were involved. Sanchez said he had visited the hospital where Uribe was being treated. Colombia's presidency issued a statement saying the government 'categorically and forcefully' rejected the violent attack, and called for a thorough investigation into the events that took place. Uribe is from a prominent family in Colombia, with links to the country's Liberal Party. His father was a businessman and union leader. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by an armed group under the command of the late cartel leader Pablo Escobar. She was killed during a rescue operation. Colombia has for decades been embroiled in a conflict between leftist rebels, criminal groups descended from right-wing paramilitaries, and the government. Leftist President Gustavo Petro sympathized with the senator's family in a message on X, saying, 'I don't know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a homeland.'
