BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA – Colombia has been plunged into shock and fear after a presidential hopeful, Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, was shot in the head during a campaign rally in Bogotá on Saturday, an attack that immediately evoked grim memories of the country’s violent political past. The 39-year-old right-wing senator is in critical condition, fighting for his life in intensive care, as authorities race to uncover the motive and masterminds behind the attempted assassination.
The brazen assault unfolded in broad daylight at El Golfito Park in the Fontibón district, where Uribe Turbay was addressing supporters. Videos circulating on social media captured the horrifying moment when a man allegedly approached from behind and fired multiple shots, striking the senator twice in the head and once in the left thigh. Chaos erupted as attendees scattered in panic, and aides rushed to aid the bleeding politician.
Uribe Turbay was swiftly airlifted to the Santa Fe Foundation hospital, where he underwent emergency neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedures. His wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, issued a tearful statement on social media, urging Colombians to pray for him. “Miguel is currently fighting for his life,” she wrote. “Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him.” The hospital confirmed on Sunday that he had survived the initial surgery but remained in “the most grave condition with a reserved prognosis.”
Police swiftly arrested a 15-year-old suspect at the scene, who was found in possession of a 9mm Glock-type firearm. The minor reportedly sustained a leg injury during the scuffle with security forces. Two other individuals, a man and a woman, were also wounded in the attack, though details on their injuries have not been publicly disclosed.
The attack has been met with widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum. Colombian President Gustavo Petro, the country’s first leftist leader, “categorically” and “forcefully” rejected the act of violence, calling it “an attack not only against his person, but also against democracy, freedom of thought, and the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia.” Petro, who canceled a planned trip to France due to the gravity of the events, stated that the investigation would focus on determining who ordered the attack, warning against a return to “situations of political violence, nor to times when violence was used to eliminate those who thought differently.”
However, the incident has also intensified the already heated political rhetoric in Colombia. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while condemning the shooting as a “direct threat to democracy,” controversially blamed the attack on “violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government,” without providing specific evidence. This accusation was swiftly rejected by members of Petro’s administration.
Uribe Turbay, a senator since 2022 and a prominent right-wing critic of President Petro, had announced his presidential bid for the Democratic Center party in March, hoping to run in the May 2026 elections. His background is deeply intertwined with Colombia’s past struggles with violence; his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was famously kidnapped by Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel in 1990 and subsequently killed during a botched rescue attempt in 1991.
The shooting has sent a chilling reminder through a nation that has worked tirelessly to leave behind its era of brutal political violence and drug cartel wars. While Colombia has made significant strides in recent decades, the assassination attempt on a presidential hopeful underscores the fragility of its peace and the enduring threats posed by various armed groups and deep-seated political polarization. As investigators delve into the motive of the arrested minor and the potential masterminds, the country holds its breath, praying for Uribe Turbay’s recovery and fearing a relapse into its darkest chapters.