Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, a leading presidential candidate for the 2026 election, was shot during a campaign rally in the capital city on Saturday, prompting national shock and widespread condemnation.
The 39-year-old, a prominent member of the conservative Democratic Centre party founded by former President Álvaro Uribe (to whom he is not related), was reportedly shot in the back by unidentified assailants while addressing supporters in a park in Bogotá's Fontibón district.
According to a statement issued by his party, “armed subjects shot him in the back” during the event. The Democratic Centre described the attack as “serious” but did not provide further information regarding the senator’s condition. Local media reports suggest that Uribe is currently hospitalised and in critical condition.
The government confirmed the incident. Colombia’s Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that a suspect had been detained in connection with the attack and that authorities were probing whether additional individuals were involved. “I have visited the hospital where Senator Uribe is being treated,” Sánchez noted.
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President Gustavo Petro issued a statement via the presidency’s press office, declaring that the government “categorically and forcefully” rejected the act of violence and called for a thorough investigation into the matter.
Offering his condolences on social media platform X, President Petro added: “I don't know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a homeland.”
Uribe hails from a distinguished Colombian family with ties to the Liberal Party. His father was a businessman and trade union leader, while his mother, the journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by a faction under the control of the late drug lord Pablo Escobar. She died during a failed rescue attempt.
The attack has heightened tensions in a nation long beset by violence linked to political instability, criminal gangs, and the remnants of insurgent movements. The assault on Uribe, a leading opposition figure, comes as Colombia prepares for a pivotal election season.
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