Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, in the running to join next year’s presidential race, was shot at an event in Bogota, according to national police, CNN reported. The 39-year-old, from the conservative Centro Democratico – or Democratic Center – one of the biggest opposition parties in the South American nation, had expressed his intention to run in next year’s election, as per CNN.

“Armed individuals shot him in the back while he was participating in a campaign event at around 5:00 pm,” the party said in a statement.

Warning: Disturbing video, gun shot Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe shot at in head during a public event. twitter/h4FlM7i7af

– Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) June 8, 2025

Bogota Mayor Carlos Galan said Uribe was receiving emergency care after being attacked in the capital’s Fontibon district, and the suspected attacker had been arrested.

The attack drew condemnation from the Colombian government and Centro Democratico, as well as former presidents and other regional leaders.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro expressed his solidarity with the senator’s family in a post on X, saying: “I don’t know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a wounded homeland.”

“Ay” Colombia y su violencia eterna. Quieren matar al hijo de una árabe en Bogotá,que ya habían asesinado, y no se debe matar en el corazón del mundo. Matan al hijo y a la madre la vida, esa es la linea roja. Colombia no debe matar a sus hijos, porque ellos tambien son…

– Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 7, 2025

The Colombian foreign ministry called the attack “a direct affront to democracy, respect for differences, and the free exercise of politics in our country.” It called on the authorities to “to fully clarify this serious incident.”

#Comunicado| La Cancillería condena enérgicamente el atentado contra el senador Miguel Uribe Turbay. twitter/R0u6xWyXfl

– Cancillería Colombia (@CancilleriaCol) June 8, 2025

Centro Democratico 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, as per CNN.

At least four former presidents – Ernesto Samper, Alvaro Uribe, Juan Manuel Santos and Ivan Duque – issued condemnations President Daniel Noboa sent his prayers to Uribe’s family, adding that“we condemn all forms of violence and intolerance.”

The UN Human Rights office in Bogota urged the authorities to investigate and bring those responsible to justice.

“We call for the guarantee of political rights and a political debate free from violence,” it wrote on X, as per CNN.

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.

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Uribe’s wife shared a health update on X and said that he is battling for his life.

“I am Maria Claudia Tarazona, Miguel’s wife. Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him. I ask everyone to join us in a chain of prayer for Miguel’s life. I put my faith in God,” she posted on his X account.

WHO IS MIGUEL URIBE?

Uribe has been serving as a member of the Senate since 2022. A conservative right-wing critic of incumbent president Gustavo Petro, he is a pre-candidate in the 2026 Colombian presidential election.

At the age of 26, Uribe was elected to the Bogota City Council for the Colombian Liberal Party. In 2016, he was appointed secretary of government of Bogota under Mayor Enrique Penalosa. He ran for mayor of Bogot in 2019 but lost to Claudia Lopez of the Green Alliance.

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In the 2022 parliamentary election, he was elected to the Senate for the Democratic Centre (CD).

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.

His mother, Diana Turbay, was a journalist kidnapped by the Medelln Cartel, led by the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar, and killed during a botched rescue attempt in 1991.

He is also the grandson of Julio Csar Turbay Ayala, who served as President of Colombia from 1978 to 1982.

His grandmother, Nydia Quintero de Balczar, is the founder of the organization Solidarity for Colombia.

US CONDEMNS ATTACK

The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, states that his government will spare no effort to uncover those responsible for the attack in which Senator and Uribista presidential pre-candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay was seriously injured.

“All investigation protocols at the highest level with the highest professional quality, working as a team, must focus from now on discovering who the mastermind is. No resource should be spared, not a single peso, not a single moment of energy to find the mastermind,” he said.

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Country’s Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X that authorities have announced a reward of around $700,000 for information leading to the capture of those behind Saturday’s attack.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attack and called the incident “a direct threat to democracy”.

“The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe. This is a direct threat to democracy and the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government.”

He added, “Having seen firsthand Colombia’s progress over the past few decades to consolidate security and democracy, it can’t afford to go back to dark days of political violence. President Petro needs to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials. We stand in prayer with Miguel’s family, loved ones, and his supporters. Those responsible for this attack must face justice.”

Published By: Priya Pareek Published On: Jun 8, 2025

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The latest news on Colombia . Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, a prominent conservative voice and potential presidential contender, was shot during a campaign event in Bogotá on Saturday, as confirmed by both the government and his political party.

Miguel’s wife posted on X: “I am Maria Claudia Tarazona, Miguel’s wife. Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him. I ask everyone to join us in a chain of prayer for Miguel’s life. I put my faith in God.”

Authorities arrested a suspect shortly after the attack, which took place in a crowded park in the Fontibon neighborhood in the capital on Saturday. Uribe remains hospitalized in critical condition, while investigators work to determine who may have ordered the assault.

A man holds a crucifix as he prays outside the Clinic Fundación Santa Fe, where Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is receiving medical treatment after being shot and wounded in Bogota on June 7, 2025. (AFP Photo)

Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot at a campaign event in Bogota on Saturday and remains in critical condition, with authorities arresting a 15-year-old suspect.

The 39-year-old senator from the opposition conservative Democratic Center party was shot from behind while hosting a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighborhood, according to his party.

President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack and ordered a full investigation in a live televised speech.

People wait outside the Clinic Fundación Santa Fe, where Senator Miguel Uribe is receiving medical treatment after being shot and wounded in Bogota on June 7, 2025. (AFP Photo)

Colombian President orders comprehensive investigation

“No resource or time should be spared, not a single peso and not a single moment of energy, to dedicate it exclusively to finding the mastermind behind the murder,” Petro said.

“Whatever his political thoughts and positions, he is first and foremost a person, a human being, and therefore has the absolute right to live,” Petro added.

Uribe was reportedly approached from behind by a lone assailant who shot him in the head. Witnesses reported the assailant fired six shots, with two striking the candidate.

Forensic experts work at the crime scene where Senator Miguel Uribe was shot and wounded in the Modelia neighborhood in Bogota on June 7, 2025. (AFP Photo)

Colombian presidential candidate in critical condition

Fundación Santa Fe hospital issued a statement Saturday night confirming Uribe’s condition: “We have received Mr. Miguel Uribe Turbay at our Emergency Department. He was admitted in critical condition and is receiving priority care from our team of specialists.

He is currently undergoing neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedures.”

Videos circulating on social media showed Uribe with his face and back covered in blood as bodyguards moved him into a vehicle for transport to the hospital.

Maria Claudia Tarazona, Uribe’s wife, stated on his official X account, “I am Maria Claudia Tarazona, Miguel’s wife. Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him. I ask everyone to join us in a chain of prayer for Miguel’s life. I put my faith in God.”

Forensic investigators examine the scene where Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot and injured in the Modelia neighborhood of Bogota, Colombia on June 7, 2025. (AFP Photo)

Minor suspect arrested

Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan confirmed on X that the alleged shooter had been captured. The Attorney General’s Office identified the suspect as a 15-year-old minor carrying a 9-millimeter Glock pistol.

Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed the arrest and stated authorities are investigating whether additional people were involved.

“The investigation continues unabated, and we will get to the bottom of it. There will be no room for impunity,” Sanchez posted on X.

Petro said in his Saturday night speech that the person arrested was a minor and that the investigation would focus on finding who ordered the attack.

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

A group of people outside the Fundacion Santa Fe Clinic in Bogota, where Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is receiving medical treatment after being shot and wounded in Bogota, Colombia on June 7, 2025. (AFP Photo)

International condemnation of shooting

The attack drew condemnation from political figures across Latin America, including the presidents of Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed “violent leftist rhetoric” for the attack against the Democratic Center party member in a post on X.

“The US condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Uribe,” Rubio said, urging President Petro to “dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials.”

Forensic investigators examine the scene where Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot and injured in the Modelia neighborhood of Bogota, Colombia on June 7, 2025. (AFP Photo)

Political background and family history

Uribe, who declared his intention to seek his party’s nomination for the 2026 presidential election, is not related to former President Alvaro Uribe, who founded the Democratic Center party.

Uribe comes from a prominent Colombian family. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by an armed group under Pablo Escobar’s command and killed during a rescue operation in 1991.

The Democratic Center party issued a statement calling the attack “an unacceptable act of violence” and said it “energetically rejects this attack that not only endangers the life of a political leader but also threatens democracy and freedom in Colombia.”

Colombia’s government offered a reward of approximately $730,000 for information leading to the capture of those responsible for the attack.

A 15 year-old-boy has been arrested after a Colombian senator running to be the country’s next president was shot and “critically” injured at a campaign rally in Bogota, authorities have said.

Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, 39, was targeted during the campaign event in a park in the Fontibon area of the Colombian capital, according to the Attorney General’s office.

He suffered two gunshot wounds when armed assailants shot him from behind and appeared to be bleeding from his head as he was helped by aides and people in the crowd, in a video posted on social media.

According to a medical report at the Santa Fe Foundation hospital, he was admitted there in a “critical condition” and is still undergoing a “neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure”.

His wife Maria Claudia Tarazone wrote on X that he is “fighting for his life” and urged Colombians to pray for him.

Two other people were injured but the nature of their injuries has not been made public.

A suspect, a 15-year-old boy, was arrested at the scene with a firearm and is being treated for a leg injury, police chief General Carlos Triana said.

The government is offering a $730,000 (£540,000) reward for information and President Gustavo Petro said the investigation will focus on who ordered the attack.

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

Mr Uribe Turbay, who announced his presidential bid for the right-wing Democratic Center Party in March, was accompanied by a team of 21 people at the time of the shooting, his office said, including councilman Andres Barrios.

He was hoping to run in the presidential elections taking place on 31 May next year – and succeed Mr Petro, the country’s first leftist leader.

His mother, who was a journalist, was kidnapped and killed in 1991 during one of the most violent periods in Colombia’s history.

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His party described it as an “unacceptable act of violence”, while US secretary of state Marco Rubio condemned it in the “strongest possible terms”.

Writing on X, Mr Rubio also urged Colombia’s current president to “dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials”.

Former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, who is not related to Mr Uribe Turbay, said the gunman had “attacked the hope of the country, a great husband, son, brother, and a great colleague”.

He cancelled a planned trip to France due to the “seriousness of the events”, his office said in a statement.

Messages of support poured in from elsewhere in Latin America, with Chilean President Gabriel Boric saying: “There is no room or justification for violence in a democracy.”

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa added: “We condemn all forms of violence and intolerance.”

(c) Sky News 2025: Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay in ‘critical condition’ after at