a day ago
Colombian senator showing improvement after assassination attempt —clinic
Colombian presidential hopeful Senator Miguel Uribe remained sedated and on a ventilator, but "has shown a favorable and stable clinical response" to treatment, his doctors said five weeks after he was shot in the head. Raul Arboleda/ AFP
BOGOTA — Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe is showing signs of improvement five weeks after he was shot in the head while giving a campaign speech, the clinic treating him in intensive care said Monday.
Uribe, 39, was shot twice in the head and once in the leg by a 15-year-old suspected hitman in Bogota on June 7.
He was admitted to hospital in a critical condition and underwent emergency surgery to stop internal bleeding.
Five people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the attack on the conservative senator, including the shooter and one of the alleged masterminds.
The clinic said Monday Uribe remained sedated and on a ventilator, but "has shown a favorable and stable clinical response" to treatment.
It added he will undergo "neurorehabilitation," a specialized therapy for people who suffered traumatic brain injury.
Uribe's wife Maria Claudia Tarazona said Sunday his condition fluctuated wildly.
"It changes so quickly and is so difficult that I don't even ask what will happen tomorrow," she told Caracol Television.
"I see Miguel alive, his body warm, his heart beating, his breathing... and that's what I hold onto every day," she added.
Colombia is experiencing its biggest security crisis in a decade, with President Gustavo Petro's "total peace" initiative widely considered to have failed as armed groups continue fighting for control of drug crops, illegal mining and trafficking routes. — Agence France-Presse
