Colombian presidential contender has successful surgery after shooting
BOGOTA - A prominent Colombian right-wing presidential candidate who was shot during a campaign event in Bogota has successfully undergone initial surgery, the city's mayor said Sunday.
39-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.
AFP | Raul ARBOLEDA
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.
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