Colombian presidential contender has successful surgery after shooting
Thirty-nine-year-old Senator Miguel Uribe was speaking to supporters in the capital when a gunman shot him twice in the head and once in the knee before being detained.
A security guard managed to detain the suspected attacker, a minor who is believed to be 15 years old.
Uribe was airlifted to hospital in "critical condition" and underwent a "neurosurgical" and "peripheral vascular procedure," the Santa Fe Clinic in Bogota confirmed.
He "overcame the first surgical procedure," Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan told media, adding that he had entered "the critical hours" of recovery.
Uribe's wife, in an audio recording shared with media, said "he came out well from the surgery."
"He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his life," she is heard saying.
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.
The suspect was injured in the affray and was receiving treatment, said police director Carlos Fernando Triana.
Two others -- a man and a woman -- were also wounded, and a Glock-style firearm was seized.
"Our hearts are broken, Colombia hurts," Carolina Gomez, a 41-year-old businesswoman, told AFP as she lit candles and prayed for Uribe's health. 'Day of pain'
A large investigative team is working on determining the motive for the attack, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said Sunday.
Earlier he had offered a roughly US$725,000 reward for information about who was behind the shooting.
Leftist President Gustavo 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."
The shooting was similarly condemned across the political spectrum and from overseas, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it "a direct threat to democracy."
But Rubio also pointed blame at Petro, claiming the attack was the "result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government."
"President Petro needs to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials," the top US diplomat said.
Venezuela, which has a longstanding border conflict with Colombia, also denounced the shooting, with the foreign ministry saying: "Venezuela strongly condemns the attack" on the senator.
Uribe, a strong critic of Petro, is a member of the Democratic Center party, which announced last October his intention to run in the 2026 presidential election.
Authorities said there was no specific threat made against the politician before the incident.
The country is home to several armed guerrilla groups and powerful cartels, and has a long history of political violence. Shot 'from behind'
Uribe is the son of Diana Turbay, a famed Colombian journalist who was killed after being kidnapped by Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel.
One of his grandfathers was president Julio Cesar Turbay, who led the country from 1978 to 1982.
Supporters gathered outside the Bogota hospital, lighting candles and clutching crucifixes as they prayed for Uribe's recovery.
The leader of Uribe's party, former president Alvaro Uribe -- who is not related to Miguel -- described the shooting as an attack against "a hope for the country."
Miguel Uribe 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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
2 hours ago
- eNCA
Military aids evacuations as Canada wildfires expand eastward
CANADA - Canada's military used aircraft to help evacuate members of a remote Indigenous group Monday as wildfires spread eastward from the Prairies region and into the country's most populous province Ontario. An airlift of Sandy Lake First Nation members started over the weekend as a 156,346-hectare blaze overwhelmed firefighting efforts and brushed up against the remote Indigenous community. Wildfires in recent weeks have swept across densely wooded parts of the vast Prairies forcing more than 30,000 people in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to flee their homes. The latter two provinces have declared states of emergency. The evacuation of Sandy Lake, an isolated community about 600 kilometers (370 miles) north of Thunder Bay with no road access, is the largest mobilization so far in Ontario. Currently the fires are raging in the province's sparsely populated northwest corner and have so far not threatened the densely inhabited south, which includes Toronto and its suburbs -- home to some seven million people. As of midday Monday, military Hercules aircraft had evacuated one third of the town's 3,000 residents, Sandy Lake First Nation Chief Delores Kakegamic told AFP by telephone. It has been slow-going, she said, as these bulky but nimble aircraft were only able take off half-full with passengers because of the community's short airstrip. - 'Rapidly deteriorated' conditions - "We're prepared to mobilize every resource needed to keep Canadians safe," Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on X. He announced the military deployment late Sunday after meeting with senior officials in Ottawa. The military said in an email to AFP, "wildfire conditions in northern Ontario have rapidly deteriorated." "Over the last 24 hours, (the Sandy Lake) wildfire has advanced from 40 kilometres to just two kilometres from the community, placing the population at immediate risk," it added. On Saturday, 19 construction workers took refuge for several hours in a shipping container in the community as the skies turned orange and the air filled with smoke. "A helicopter tried to go pick them up but the smoke was so bad they couldn't land," Kakegamic said. Moments before the shipping container itself caught on fire, they made a run for it. "It was a narrow escape," Kakegamic said. "They've been traumatised, for sure." There were 227 active wildfires across Canada as of Sunday, including about 20 in Ontario. Some 3.1 million hectares of forests have been scorched this year and hundreds of buildings destroyed in several small towns. Images shared by wildfire agencies showed blackened and devastated landscapes left behind fast-moving walls of fire and big plumes of smoke. The fires have downgraded air quality in parts of Canada and the United States. Smoke, which can be hazardous to health, has also reached as far away as Europe. Climate change has increased the impact of extreme weather events in Canada, which is still recovering from the summer of 2023 when 15 million hectares of forests burned. Most of the ongoing fires this year have been triggered by human activity - often accidental - such as poorly extinguished campfires or the passing of vehicles in extremely dry areas.
eNCA
5 hours ago
- eNCA
World Cup 2026 host cities say fans 'welcome' despite ongoing border control
USA - American World Cup host city officials assured Monday that overseas fans would be welcome at next year's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico despite "uncertainty" amid ongoing concerns over visas, border controls and social unrest. In a briefing in New York that came just over a year from the opening game of the tournament on June 11, 2026, officials said President Donald Trump's administration remained "extremely supportive" of the World Cup. Since returning to power, Trump has started a global trade war, threatened to annex Canada and launched a border crackdown that has led to harsh treatment of foreign visitors attempting to enter the United States. Trump's immigration offensive has in turn led to civil unrest, with clashes in Los Angeles over the weekend triggered by large-scale raids last week. Eleven American cities will host the bulk of the games at next year's World Cup, which is being co-hosted by three nations for the first time and has been expanded to include 48 teams. Executives from the local organising committees for the 11 US World Cup venues gathered in New York on Monday to brief on logistical aspects of the tournament, including transportation, stadium access, fan zones as well as general access to the United States. "For each of our cities, we want to be prepared to make any person that is coming and makes the decision to come to the United States or come to this World Cup feel that they are welcome," said Meg Kane, head of the Philadelphia organising committee. - 'Extremely supportive' - Kane said while officials were planning "within uncertainty" due to matters taking place at national and international level, the Trump administration was firmly behind the tournament. "We do not play a role necessarily in what is happening in terms of the decisions that are made," Kane said. "What we can say is that the current administration - while there are certain situations that we are monitoring closely - has been extremely supportive of FIFA World Cup." Alex Lasry, the chief executive of the New York/New Jersey World Cup committee said officials were bracing for "millions" of fans inside and outside the stadiums irrespective of the political climate. "I think sports transcends geopolitics," Lasry told AFP. "I think we've seen that for Olympics. We've seen it for other World Cups, in Qatar or Russia. "People want to come to these mega sporting events, and they're going to travel to ensure that they're able to cheer on and see their team play. "Our job as a host committee is to make sure that we are putting on an event and making sure that our city and our region is ready to welcome everyone who's able to come to the World Cup," added Lasry, who was previously an assistant secretary for tourism in President Joe Biden's government. Los Angeles World Cup committee vice-president Jason Krutzsch said organisers were working to ensure fans "understand that they are welcome in Los Angeles and will have an amazing World Cup experience." "We're working closely with the administration," Krutzsch said adding that Trump's World Cup Task Force was established to "make sure that we can welcome fans from around the world and deliver an exceptional experience." As well as hosting games at the World Cup, Los Angeles will also stage the Super Bowl in 2027 before hosting the 2028 Olympics. "We really want to make sure that 2026 goes well," Krutzsch said. "We're really focused on delivering an exceptional experience in 2026 for the world.
eNCA
6 hours ago
- eNCA
Trump deploys Marines as tensions rise over Los Angeles protests
USA - President Donald Trump ordered active-duty US Marines and 2,000 more National Guard troops into Los Angeles on Monday, vowing those protesting immigration arrests would be "hit harder" than ever. The extraordinary mobilisation of 700 full-time professional military personnel - and thousands of National Guard troops - looked likely to stoke tensions in a city with a huge Latino population. California Governor Gavin Newsom slammed the move as "deranged." "US Marines have served honorably across multiple wars in defense of democracy," Newsom posted on X. "They shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President. This is un-American." The deployment came after demonstrators took over streets in Downtown LA on Sunday, torching cars and looting stores in ugly scenes that saw law enforcement responding with tear gas and rubber bullets. The people "causing the problems are professional agitators and insurrectionists," Trump told reporters in Washington. On social media, he said protesters spat at troops and if they continued to do so, "I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before. Such disrespect will not be tolerated!" US NORTHERN COMMAND/AFP | - One small business-owner whose property was graffitied was supportive of the strongarm tactics. "I think it's needed to stop the vandalism," she told AFP, declining to give her name. "Everybody has the right to protest, but do it the right way. Don't vandalise or hurt your own town because you're hurting people that are trying to make a living." Others were horrified. "They're meant to be protecting us, but instead, they're like, being sent to attack us," Kelly Diemer, 47, told AFP. "This is not a democracy anymore." -'Go home!' - A fourth day of protest triggered by dozens of arrests of what authorities said were illegal migrants and gang members unfolded peacefully Monday. "Pigs go home!" demonstrators shouted at National Guardsmen outside a federal detention center. Others banged on the sides of unmarked vehicles as they passed through police containment lines. A scuffle broke out in the crowd, with one man other protesters said was a Trump supporter being expelled. "He was basically aggravating people trying to start a fight, which kind of worked. Then everyone started chasing him away," an 18-year-old woman told AFP, declining to give her name. AFP | RINGO CHIU Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said local authorities were able to control the city. "(We) have decades of experience managing large scale public demonstrations, and we remain confident in our ability to be able to do so professionally and effectively," he told reporters. "The introduction of federal, military personnel without direct coordination creates logistical challenges and risks confusion during critical incidents." Despite isolated and eye-catching acts of violence, which included the torching of several Waymo cars on Sunday, officials and local law enforcement stressed the majority of protesters over the weekend had been peaceful. Schools across Los Angeles were operating normally on Monday, while the rhythms of life in the sprawling city appeared largely unchanged. Mayor Karen Bass said in contrast to Trump's rhetoric, "this is isolated to a few streets. This is not citywide civil unrest." AFP | ETIENNE LAURENT At least 56 people were arrested over two days and five officers suffered minor injuries, Los Angeles Police Department officials said, while about 60 people were arrested in protests in San Francisco. Trump's use of the military - which he repeatedly threatened to do while campaigning for the White House - marked a significant break from modern American political practice. The National Guard has not been deployed over the head of a state governor since 1965 at the height of the civil rights movement. US law largely prevents the use of the military as a policing force on home soil absent an insurrection. AFP | Gilles CLARENNE, Bastien INZAURRALDE There were questions over how well prepared the National Guard had been for its sudden deployment, with pictures obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle appearing to show Guardsman sleeping on the floor of what the paper said was a federal building. "No federal funding available for food, water, fuel and lodging," the source of the photos told the paper. "This is really the failure of the federal government. If you're going to federalize these troops, then take care of them." By Huw Griffith
