The Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot on Saturday during a campaign event in the capital Bogotá. The authorities of the country declared that, Reuters reports. According to Colombian media, the 39-year-old politician was seriously injured.
Uribe, a fierce critic of the left -wing Colombian President Gustavo Petro, is a member of the conservative opposition party Democratic Center, founded by the former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe (no family). He is a candidate for the May 2026 presidential elections.
According to a statement from the party, Uribe was “shot in the back” during a campaign meeting in a park by armed men. The party speaks of “an unacceptable act of violence.” On images on social media, Uribe is covered with blood and a possible head wound. He is held by several people on the images.
The mayor of Bogotá, Carlos Galán, reports on X that a suspected shooter has been arrested. The federal government said it has praised a reward for the arrest of those responsible.
Uribe comes from a prominent Colombian family with ties with the liberal party of the country. His father was a businessman and trade union leader. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was abducted in 1990 by an armed group led by cartell leader Pablo Escobar. She was killed during a rescue operation.
In a message on X, Petro expressed his condolences to the Senator family. “Respect life, that’s the red line,” he wrote in a message on his X channel. The president has canceled a planned trip to France “because of the seriousness of events,” said a presidential statement.