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Colombian presidential candidate shot in head: Attack recalls tragic fate of mother who was killed by Pablo Escobar
Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot in the head during a campaign event in Bogotá and is fighting for his life, his wife confirmed. The attack has drawn parallels with the fate of his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, who was killed in 1991 after being kidnapped by a gang linked to Pablo Escobar. read more
Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot three times—twice in the head—during a campaign event in a park in Bogotá on Saturday. He is currently fighting for his life, his wife Maria Claudia Tarazona confirmed.
Local media reported that a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene. Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed the arrest and said authorities are investigating if others were involved. The motive for the attack remains unclear.
Uribe comes from a prominent Colombian family. His mother, Diana Turbay, was a journalist and the daughter of Colombia's 25th president, Julio César Turbay. In 1990, she was kidnapped by a gang working for drug lord Pablo Escobar and died during a failed rescue attempt.
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Who was Diana Turbay?
Diana Turbay was born in 1950 and was a respected journalist known for her sharp reporting and human touch. She founded and led the news magazine Hoy x Hoy and stood out for avoiding sensationalism during a time of intense violence in Colombia.
Hace 33 años perdí a mi mamá, Diana Turbay y hoy a pesar del tiempo que ha pasado, mi mamá ha sido mi motivación y ejemplo para trabajar por nuestro país.
Me enseñó que los principios no se negocian y el valor de la integridad.
Como periodista fue fiel a la verdad y creyente de… pic.twitter.com/rmpoDzeRkW — Miguel Uribe (@MiguelUribeT) January 25, 2024
In August 1990, she left Bogotá with a group of journalists to interview a guerrilla leader known as 'Cura Pérez.' But it was a trap. The supposed guerrillas were members of Los Priscos, a criminal group tied to Pablo Escobar. The aim was to kidnap public figures and pressure the Colombian government to stop extraditing drug traffickers to the US.
Diana was held in captivity for nearly five months in the hills near Medellín. She reportedly remained calm, wrote letters to her family, and urged the government not to use force for her release.
On January 25, 1991, a police rescue mission ended in tragedy. Diana was hit by a bullet during the operation and died shortly after surgery. It remains unclear whether the fatal shot came from her captors or the rescuers. Her family had opposed a forceful rescue, fearing exactly this outcome.
Her story was later told in Gabriel García Márquez's News of a Kidnapping.
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New Indian Express
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BOGOTA: A prominent Colombian presidential candidate was in "grave" condition and "fighting for his life" in hospital Sunday, after an alleged teen gunman shot him twice in the head at a Bogota campaign rally. Thirty-nine-year-old right-wing Senator Miguel Uribe underwent successful initial surgery to contain injuries from Saturday's attack, but doctors warned his life was still in serious peril. He remains in "the most grave condition and the prognosis is reserved" said medics at the capital's Santa Fe Clinic. Uribe's shooting has utterly shocked a nation that had believed decades of bloody political and narco violence were largely in the past. Hundreds took to the streets in major cities on Sunday to light candles, pray and voice their anger at the attack. "Our hearts are broken, Colombia hurts," Carolina Gomez, a 41-year-old businesswoman, told AFP as she lit candles and prayed outside the hospital where Uribe was being treated. The crowd joined together in cries of "strength to you Miguel" and "the people are with you." Uribe's wife Maria Claudia Tarazona thanked Colombians for their support and asked that they collectively pray for his survival. "He is fighting hard for his life," she said. The senator received two gunshot wounds to the head and was also shot once in the leg. Although a security guard at the scene captured the alleged gunman, the motive for the shooting is still not publicly known. Uribe had been a fierce critic of Colombia's leftist government, of guerrilla groups that still control chunks of the country and of ultra-powerful drug cartels. The government has vowed to use every police, military and intelligence resource to uncover the motive and find those who hired the alleged would-be assassin. Police said there had been no specific threats against Uribe's life, but like other public figures he had close personal protection. The young Senator's family history traces the tragedies of modern Colombia, making the attack all the more poignant for many. He is the grandson of a former president Julio Cesar Turbay whose 1978-1982 term was marked by guerrilla insurgencies and the emergence of the Medellin and Cali drug cartels. But Uribe is best known as the son of Diana Turbay, a famed Colombian journalist who was killed after being kidnapped by Pablo Escobar and whose death rocked the nation.
