Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay is in critical condition after being shot three times twice in the head during a campaign rally in Bogotá on Saturday.
The 39-year-old candidate was delivering a speech in a neighborhood park when gunfire erupted, sending the crowd into chaos. Shocking footage shared on social media shows Uribe collapsing mid-speech as attendees screamed and scattered. Authorities later confirmed that a 15-year-old suspect was taken into custody at the scene.
Emergency responders reported that Uribe suffered gunshot wounds to the head and knee. He was quickly airlifted to Santa Fe Clinic, where he underwent emergency surgery. Supporters gathered outside the hospital, holding candles and signs in a vigil for his recovery.
His wife, María Claudia Tarazona, issued an emotional plea for national solidarity. “Miguel is fighting for his life. We ask all Colombians to pray and to keep faith in the medical team working to save him,” she said.
Uribe’s political party, Centro Democrático, condemned the attack as a direct assault on Colombia’s democratic institutions. “This is an attack not only on our candidate but on the democratic values we all share,” the party said in a statement.
President Gustavo Petro’s left-wing administration also denounced the shooting. “Violence has no place in our democracy. We reject this heinous act,” the presidency said in an official message.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern as well, calling the incident “a direct threat to democracy” in a statement posted on X.
Uribe, who launched his presidential campaign in October, is a prominent figure in Colombian politics. He hails from a well-known family: his father was a union leader and businessman, and his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed during a 1991 rescue operation after being kidnapped by Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel.
Investigators have not yet disclosed a motive for the attack, and the investigation is ongoing. The incident has sparked renewed fears about political violence in Colombia, where security for public figures remains a pressing concern ahead of the upcoming election season.
