Shot Colombian candidate Miguel Uribe recovering after surgery
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Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe survives shooting at Bogotá rally; undergoes emergency surgery after being critically wounded. Teen suspect arrested as nation reels.
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Security personnel check people in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, June 8, 2025, upon their arrival to the clinic where Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after an assassination attempt. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Colombian senator and 2026 presidential candidate Miguel Uribe is recovering after undergoing emergency surgery following a shooting at a campaign event in the capital. According to Bogotá's mayor, Carlos Fernando Galán, the operation was successful, but Uribe remains in a delicate recovery phase.
The 39-year-old politician, affiliated with the opposition Democratic Centre party, was shot on Saturday while addressing supporters in a public park in Fontibón, a district in western Bogotá. The assailant, reportedly a 15-year-old male, is now in police custody.
Uribe, who was struck in the back, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. Videos shared on social media showed him bleeding from the head as bystanders attempted to assist.
In a statement, Uribe's party confirmed the seriousness of the incident but refrained from sharing further medical updates. His wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, later posted on his official X account that Uribe was "fighting for his life."
Assassination attempt
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the young suspect had been apprehended and that authorities are exploring the possibility of additional individuals being involved in the attack. "We are investigating whether others were involved," Sánchez said after visiting the hospital.
President Gustavo Petro denounced the violence, writing: "I don't know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a homeland." In remarks delivered Saturday night, Petro confirmed the arrested shooter was a minor and said investigators are working to identify those who may have orchestrated the assault. He also raised concerns about possible lapses in security protection.
"For now there is nothing more than hypothesis," he added.
Read more: Colombian president reveals drug cartels plan to assassinate him
Political shockwaves
Uribe comes from a politically prominent family. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by forces linked to cartel boss Pablo Escobar and died during a failed rescue attempt. His father was known for both his business and union leadership roles.
The incident sparked strong reactions abroad. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attack and pointed to what he called Petro's "inflammatory rhetoric" as contributing to the climate of violence. "The US condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination," Rubio said in a statement.
An official release from Colombia's presidency expressed unequivocal rejection of the violence and urged a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack.
