Latest news with #assassinationAttempt
CTV News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Colombian president vows to hunt ‘mastermind' behind shooting of political rival, after 15-year-old arrested
A security guard checks on an employee in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, June 8, 2025, upon her arrival to the clinic where Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after an assassination attempt. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia) Colombian senator Miguel Uribe, in the running to join next year's presidential race, is in a critical condition in hospital after being shot at an event in Bogota, allegedly by a 15-year old boy. The 39-year-old, from the center-right Centro Democrático – or Democratic Center – the biggest opposition party in the South American nation, had expressed his intention to run in next year's election. He was shot twice on Saturday afternoon in the capital's Fontibon district, according to the General Prosecutor's Office. Police said the 15-year-old was carrying a Glock pistol when he was arrested. Video footage showed the senator giving a speech to a crowd before multiple loud bangs rang out. He was seen lying on the ground as people around him fled. Police and civilians later rushed him to an ambulance. Uribe has entered 'the critical hours' of recovery after undergoing an initial surgical procedure, Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said Sunday. 'He came out well from the surgery,' his wife told reporters in an audio recording after the operation, according to AFP. 'He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his life.' Uribe's party said he was shot in the back while he was participating in a campaign event. In a broadcast statement Saturday evening, Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack and vowed to hunt down those responsible, suggesting other criminals may have been involved. 'No resource should be spared, not a single peso or a single moment of energy, to find the mastermind … Wherever they live, whether in Colombia or abroad,' said Petro. The president pointed to a pattern of Colombian criminals taking advantage of minors and promised an independent investigation to determine the 'intellectual authors' of the attack - speculating there may be a link to 'crime bosses' responsible for several political assassinations in the country. He expressed his hope that the opposition senator would survive and said politics should be 'free of violence.' Uribe's wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, posted a message on his X account asking for prayers for his recovery. 'Miguel is fighting for his life right now. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him,' she wrote. Santa Fe de Bogota Foundation, the hospital where he is being treated, said he was undergoing 'neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedures.' 'Uribe's condition is stable, still in critical condition,' Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo told local TV network Caracol TV. A political family Uribe comes from a prominent Colombian political family. He is the grandson of Julio César Turbay Ayala, who governed the country from 1978 to 1982, and died in 2005. The young politician's mother was Diana Turbay, a journalist kidnapped by drug traffickers from the Medellín cartel under Pablo Escobar, and murdered during a rescue operation in 1991. His grandmother, Nydia Quintero de Balcázar, is the founder of the organization Solidarity for Colombia. The Harvard graduate entered the Senate in 2022, after a career in local Bogota politics. He is identified with the right wing of Colombian politics, as the standard-bearer of the Democratic Center, championing security and foreign investment. In October 2024, he announced his presidential bid from the location where his mother was killed, saying that her death shaped his life. 'I could have grown up seeking revenge, but I decided to do the right thing: forgive, but never forget,' he said. With the presidential campaign still in its early stages, the Democratic Center has not yet chosen its official candidate. International condemnation The attack drew condemnation from the Colombian government and the Democratic Center, as well as former presidents and world leaders. Before Petro's address, the president's office released a statement 'categorically and forcefully' condemning the attack. 'This act of violence is an attack not only against the senator's personal integrity, but also against democracy, freedom of thought, and the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia,' the Presidency said. Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez Suárez also announced a 3 billion pesos (US$730,000) reward for information that helps authorities track down those responsible for the attack. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington condemned the attack 'in the strongest possible terms,' calling it 'a direct threat to democracy.' He attributed it to 'the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government' and urged the Colombian officials to dial back 'the inflammatory rhetoric.' President Petro later said he rejected 'opportunistic' attempts to use the attack for 'political purposes.' Uribe's Democratic Center party called the shooting 'an unacceptable act of violence.' 'We strongly reject this attack, which not only endangers the life of a political leader but also threatens democracy and freedom in Colombia,' it said in a statement. At least four former presidents – Ernesto Samper, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Juan Manuel Santos and Iván Duque – issued condemnations. Centro Democratico is the party of both Uribe and Duque. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa sent his prayers to Uribe's family, adding that 'we condemn all forms of violence and intolerance.' In the late 1980s and early '90s, when Uribe's mother was assassinated, Colombia experienced one of its worst periods of political violence, with the murders of several presidential candidates. Uribe is a prominent member of a new generation of politicians descended from victims of that violence, along with current Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán, son of former Liberal leader Luis Carlos Galán, who was assassinated in 1989. One of Uribe's greatest rivals in the Senate, María José Pizarro, is the daughter of Carlos Pizarro Leongómez, assassinated in 1990 while running for president of the leftist M-19. CNN's Billy Stockwell and Sofia Barruti contributed to this report. Mauricio Torres, Fernando Ramos, Chris Lau and Sebastian Jimenez, CNN
Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Watch: Colombian presidential candidate shot twice in the head
A Right-wing Colombian politician campaigning to become the country's next president is fighting for his life after being shot twice in the head and once in the leg. Miguel Uribe, 39, was standing in a park and addressing supporters in the capital, Bogota, when a gunman opened fire. He was in the middle of his address when he was shot in the head, with the sound of gunfire prompting supporters to flee in panic. Video footage showed Mr Uribe slumped against a white car, his clothes drenched in blood. The suspected gunman – who is reported to be just 15 – was arrested by a security guard at the scene. He was allegedly armed with a 9mm Glock-type pistol. Mr Uribe, a senator for the Democratic Centre party, was airlifted to hospital, where he had emergency brain surgery. Maria Claudia Tarazona, his wife, appealed to Colombians to pray for his survival. 'Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him,' she said. The motive for the assassination attempt is not yet known. The authorities have offered a reward of three billion peso (£540,000) for information about who was behind it. Mr Uribe, a staunch critic of Gustavo Petro, the Left-wing president of Colombia, announced last year that he intended to run in next year's presidential election. His family has been touched by violence in the past. His mother, a prominent journalist, was killed in 1991 during a rescue attempt after she was kidnapped by the Medellin cartel, run at the time by Pablo Escobar, the notorious drug lord. Colombia has a long history of political violence and is home to armed guerrilla groups as well as drug-dealing cartels. President Petro condemned the shooting as 'an attack not only against his person, but also against democracy, freedom of thought, and the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia'. Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, called the attack 'a direct threat to democracy'. He blamed the attack, without providing examples, on '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,' Mr Rubio said. Mr Uribe, who has been a senator since 2022, is from a prominent political family in Colombia. One of his grandfathers was the country's president from 1978 to 1982.
The Herald
28-05-2025
- General
- The Herald
KZN traditional leader wounded in assassination attempt
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs Thulasizwe Buthelezi has condemned an assassination attempt on Inkosi Simphiwe Cele of the Vukuzithathe traditional authority in eZinqoleni on the South Coast on Tuesday. 'It is very concerning as it paints a picture of a growing trend of violence targeting amakhosi and other figures within the institution of traditional leadership,' said Buthelezi. According to reports received by the department, Cele was travelling with two people when gunmen opened fire on his vehicle. One person was killed, while Cele and the other passenger sustained injuries. Buthelezi has called on law enforcement agencies to deploy all necessary resources to apprehend those responsible. He said he believes the attack on Cele and his companions is an affront to peace and stability by 'forces hell-bent on creating instability' in the province and the institution of traditional leadership.
News24
28-05-2025
- General
- News24
KZN traditional leader survives assassination attempt – MEC calls for probe into safety
KwaZulu-Natal traditional leader Inkosi Simphiwe Cele has survived an apparent hit. The shooting, which left one person dead, is the second such incident in two months. Cogta MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi has called for a full review of the safety of Amakhosi. A KwaZulu-Natal traditional leader has survived an attempt on his life following a shooting in eZinqoleni in the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality. This is the second such attack in two months, with a traditional leader killed at his Durban home last month. MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thulasizwe Buthelezi said the assassination attempt on Inkosi Simphiwe Cele of the Vukuzithathe Traditional Authority took place on Tuesday. 'This attack… is very concerning as it paints a picture of a growing trend of violence targeting Amakhosi and other figures within the institution of traditional leadership,' he said. According to reports received by Buthelezi's department, Inkosi Cele was travelling with two people when gunmen opened fire on his vehicle. One person was killed, while Cele and the other passenger suffered injuries. Buthelezi has called upon law enforcement agencies to deploy all necessary resources to apprehend those responsible for this senseless act. The police had not commented at the time of publication. The MEC said the attack 'is an affront to peace and stability within the province by forces hell-bent on creating instability within the province and the institution of traditional leadership'. Buthelezi has also tasked the department to conduct a full review of the safety of Amakhosi in conjunction with other line function departments and law enforcement agencies, as 'this incident marks a trend of increased attacks on Amakhosi and various community leaders'. Last month, Induna Aaron Gwala, of the Gwala Traditional Authority in eThekwini, was shot and killed at his home by gunmen.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump adds a new piece of art to the Oval Office - a statue of himself moments after the assassination attempt in Butler
President Donald Trump has a miniature statue on display in the Oval Office, depicting the moments immediately after he survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. The statue, complete with the Secret Service agents who bundled the president to the ground, captures the moment Trump raised his fist in the air and shouted, 'fight, fight, fight,' after he was struck by shooter Matthew Thomas Crooks' bullet on July 13 last year. The figure was created by sculptor Stan Watts and 'symbolizes the divine intervention as well as the man and his message of unity and resilience for which America stands,' according to the Trump Statue Project's website. Photographs of the statue emerged Friday while Trump was signing legislation about household consumer energy policies in the Oval Office. There are plans to create a 9-foot-tall version in bronze in the works, according to the project's website. The site asks for contributions ranging from $10, which will earn donors a vote on the location of where the statue will be permanently installed, to $25,000 to receive a limited quarter-life-size bronze replica. Contributors who give $4,500 will receive a 12-inch sculpture. 'These sculptures are the same one's [sic] being offered to big money donors to The Trump Campaign,' the site says. It is one of the latest additions spotted in the Oval Office, which has had a major makeover since Trump's predecessor, former President Joe Biden, left office. Gold is a strong theme, with eagles and medallions decorating the fireplace. Trump's Georgia mug shot also hangs just outside the Oval Office, The president has also tripled the number of pictures of his predecessors on the walls, adding portraits of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and Ronald Reagan, amongst others.
