Colombian Presidential Hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay Shot in Assassination Attempt at Bogotá Rally

Colombian Presidential Hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay Shot in Assassination Attempt: A presidential hopeful, son of a late journalist, grandson of ex-Colombian President - senator Miguel Uribe is currently battling for his life after he was shot during a rally in Bogota. The 39-year-old Democratic Center leader is in critical condition after he was shot twice on Saturday afternoon in the capital’s Fontibon district.

Police have arrested a 15-year-old suspect, who, they said, was carrying a Glock pistol when he was arrested. A video shows Uribe giving a speech in front of several people when gunshots suddenly ring out.

Uribe Turbay, currently a senator, is also the son of a journalist who was kidnapped and murdered in 1991, during one of Colombia’s most violent eras.

In a video shared on X, Turbay was seen delivering a speech at a public rally when gunfire erupted. The video shows a sudden disturbance, with more than three shots heard.

Images circulating on social media showed the 39-year-old bloodied, with what appeared to be a head wound, being supported by several people.

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According to the Associated Press, no official update has been issued regarding the senator’s condition as of now.

The attack triggered reactions across Latin America. Chilean President Gabriel Boric said, “There is no room or justification for violence in a democracy,” while Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa stated, “We condemn all forms of violence and intolerance.”

The Democratic Center party released a statement calling the shooting “an unacceptable act of violence”.

It said the senator was hosting a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighbourhood in the capital when “armed subjects” shot him from behind.

It described the attack as serious, but did not disclose further details on Uribe’s condition.

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A medical report from the Santa Fe Foundation hospital said the senator was admitted in critical condition and is undergoing a “neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure”.

“For now there is nothing more than hypothesis,” Mr Petro said, adding that failures in security protocols would also be looked into.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said in a statement that the US “condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination” of Mr Uribe, blaming Mr Petro’s “inflammatory rhetoric” for the violence.

Mr Uribe, who is not yet an official presidential candidate for his party, is from a prominent family in Colombia. His father was a businessman and union leader. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by an armed group under the command of the late cartel leader Pablo Escobar. She was killed during a rescue operation in 1991.

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