Latest news with #MiguelUribeTurbay
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fears of violence revived after Colombian senator shot in head at campaign rally
Miguel Uribe Turbay, a Colombian senator and presidential hopeful, is in critical condition after being shot in the head at a campaign event in Bogotá on Saturday. Analysts describe the attack as the latest sign of Colombia's deteriorating security situation and deepening political polarization, warning of a return to the dark era of political violence in the 1980s and 90s. Uribe, the grandson of President Julio Cesar Turbay, spent his life fighting against political violence after his mother, Diana Turbay, was kidnapped by the Medellin Cartel and killed during a failed rescue operation in 1991. Uribe's state was described as being of 'maximum severity' in a statement today by the Santa Fé Foundation, where the senator is being treated. 'This is the kind of moment that feels really pivotal, and it's frankly a very dangerous moment in Colombian politics,' Elizabeth Dickinson, Senior Colombia Analyst at Crisis Group International, told The Miami Herald. It is the first assassination attempt of its kind in decades, with many observers comparing it to the murder of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán in 1989. Galán's son, current Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan, told reporters this morning that Uribe is in 'the critical hours of recovery' following overnight surgery. The attack was carried out amid a heavy police presence and just minutes away from El Dorado International Airport. 'I think it tells us a lot about the very fragile security dynamics,' said Dickinson. Colombia has been facing a mounting internal security crisis this year, including intensified armed conflict in rural zones and a campaign of killings targeting police officers in April. The shooting was carried out by a 15-year-old sicario, or paid hitman, who was apprehended by police shortly after fleeing the scene. It remains unclear who ordered the attack. 'It's very clear that the motivation of this attack was to be incendiary, to exacerbate polarization, to increase the levels of violence in politics,' said Dickinson. Colombian politics have been marked by increasing tensions between the leftist incumbent, President Gustavo Petro, and conservative opposition. Uribe was a far-right candidate for the Democratic Center party, considered to be former-president Alvaro Uribe's protegé. The hopeful campaigned promising to be tough on crime and to improve security in the country. Many on the right blamed Petro personally for the attack. 'Petro, you are the only one responsible for whatever happens to Miguel Uribe and to all the other candidates,' wrote Vicky Dávila, the conservative favorite in next year's elections, in an X post on Saturday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined the chorus of criticism against Petro, who he has publicly clashed with on multiple occasions in the past. 'This is a direct threat to democracy and the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government,' wrote Washington's top diplomat in a post on X on Saturday night. Petro has been criticized for his unconventional approach to statesmanship, often publishing rambling late-night posts on X criticizing his opponents. 'What the country really needs right now is a president who serves as a healer,' Sergio Guzmán, Director at Colombia Risk Analysis, a security think tank, told The Miami Herald. 'Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that's going to happen and without that we can expect more episodes of political violence,' added the analyst. Uribe's shooting is a powerful symbol in Colombia, where many remember his journalist mother's high-profile murder. 'It's really tragic, actually, to see this sort of cycle of violence within his own family,' said Dickinson. The analyst described how Uribe's experience of violence from a young age defined his politics. 'Whether you agreed with his ideals or not, he came down very clearly on that subject, which is that violence has no role in politics,' explained Dickinson. But the attack has shown violence is once again a part of Colombian politics, with many observers fearing it is just the tip of the iceberg.
Bloomberg
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Senator in Intensive Care Shows Colombia Spinning Out of Control
Last Thursday, presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay warned that Colombia was fast sinking back into its violent past. Two days later, a gunman shot him in the head during a rally. The 39-year-old opposition senator is now fighting for his life in a Bogota hospital, while prosecutors try to find out who may have ordered the teenage suspect to pull the trigger.
Korea Herald
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay in serious condition after shooting at political rally
BOGOTA (AP) — Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay, a conservative presidential hopeful, was in "serious" condition Sunday following surgery for a gunshot wound at a political rally a day earlier, Bogota's mayor said. Mayor Carlos Galan visited the Fundacion Santa Fe clinic to express solidarity with the family of the 39-year-old senator. "He survived the procedure; these are critical moments and hours for his survival," said Galan early Sunday after receiving information from the medical staff at the clinic. The hospital said Sunday that Uribe Turbay was recovering in intensive care after undergoing neurosurgery and a procedure on his left thigh. His condition was described as "extremely serious," and his prognosis was reserved. "Miguel continues to fight hard for his life, and I ask each of you to keep praying fervently," Uribe Turbay's wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, said in a statement. Former presidents Alvaro Uribe and Cesar Gaviria visited the clinic, along with senators, city council members and other politicians, including former senator Ingrid Betancourt. The attack took place in a park in the Fontibon neighborhood in Bogota when armed assailants shot him from behind, said the right-wing Democratic Center, which was the party of former president Uribe. The men are not related. Images circulating on social media showed a person firing several shots at the senator from behind, apparently hitting his head before he collapsed. The Attorney General's Office, which is investigating the shooting, said the senator received two gunshot wounds in the attack, which also wounded two others. Their identities and conditions have not been disclosed. The office said a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene with a firearm. He was injured in the leg and was recovering at another clinic, authorities said. Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez added that over 100 officers are investigating who was behind the attack. Elizabeth Dickinson, a security analyst at Crisis Group, told The Associated Press that the assault on the senator was a throwback to a time in Colombia "when violence converted into a political tool at the highest levels." The incident has frightened Colombians, she added, because it highlights a recurring cycle of violence "even inside families that have been suffering its consequences for decades." The intellectual author of the shooting, she said, "clearly had the intention to stir up the country." The Colombian Senate called for national unity Sunday in a statement, emphasizing that political leaders and lawmakers face risks in a polarized nation. Uribe Turbay is the political heir of his grandfather, former President Julio Cesar Turbay who was in office from 1978-82. His mother, Diana Turbay, was a journalist who was kidnapped and killed in 1991 during a failed rescue attempt. Her death came during one of the most violent periods in the history of the South American country, then-plagued by drug cartel violence. The senator announced his presidential bid in early March. Colombia will hold a presidential election on May 31, 2026, marking the end of President Gustavo Petro's term. Petro, the country's first leftist leader, is not eligible for reelection. Outside the Fundacion Santa Fe clinic, dozens of people gathered in prayer for Uribe Turbay's recovery. Late on Saturday, after leading an extraordinary Security Council session, Petro, Colombia's first leftist president, promised "complete transparency" in the investigation and to find out who was behind the attack. He also promised an investigation into any failures by the senator's bodyguards. The president canceled a planned trip to France "due to the seriousness of the events," according to a presidential statement. World leaders and senior officials, including from the United States, Chile, Ecuador, and the European Union, condemned the violence and expressed support for the Colombian people and Uribe Turbay's family. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the "United State condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe." He urged Petro "to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials." "This is a direct threat to democracy and the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government," Rubio said.
7 hours ago
- Politics
Suspect arrested in Colombian apparent assassination attempt
Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay is in critical condition and "fighting for his life" after he was shot three times during a campaign rally in Bogota.
New York Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Videos of Assassination Attempt in Colombia Stoke National Tension
It was all captured on video. An assassination attempt against a Colombian senator and presidential hopeful on Saturday night has horrified much of the nation, and not just because it represents the highest-profile political violence in the country in years. The attempt against Miguel Uribe Turbay, 39, a conservative politician and the grandson of a former president, took place at a campaign event in the capital, Bogotá, while a small army of cellphone cameras rolled. Videos that spread rapidly online and were verified by The New York Times show the suspect listening to Mr. Uribe deliver a campaign speech, then shooting him from behind, running away, and finally being pinned to the ground as Mr. Uribe bleeds profusely nearby, held up by his crying colleagues. A white car smeared with his blood, pictured in numerous videos and photos, has quickly become a symbol of the attack. And the videos, taken together, have come to reflect some Colombians' fears that the nation is headed back to the violence that shaped it from the 1980s to the early 2000s, when attacks linked to drug traffickers and left-wing guerrillas were regular occurrences in major cities. 'We lived through a terrifying time,' said Sonia Ballen, 61, who on Sunday marched many blocks with other supporters of Mr. Uribe to the hospital where he was being treated. 'And here we are starting to see it again.' On Sunday morning, the medical director at the hospital, the Santa Fe Foundation in Bogotá, said that Mr. Uribe's condition was 'extremely serious.' The director, Dr. Adolfo Llinás Volpe, said the hospital would not release information about the senator's prognosis. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
