Colombian Presidential Candidate Miguel Uribe was Shot During a Political Event in Bogotá

The 39-year-old legislator, a member of the opposition Democratic Center party founded by former President Álvaro Uribe, was immediately taken to a hospital.  The Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation reported that it received Uribe at its clinic in critical condition and that at around 10:00 p.m. local time (3:00 a.m. GMT on Sunday) he was undergoing a “neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure.”  Images shared on social media showed the moment of the incident, in which the candidate was covered in blood and held by others as they sought help.  Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán reported on the social network X that the alleged perpetrator of the attack was captured.  The Prosecutor’s Office said Uribe was shot twice and that the suspect is a 15-year-old minor carrying a 9-millimeter Glock pistol. 

Colombian President Gustavo Petro asserted that the perpetrator is a hitman.  Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed the suspect’s arrest and added that they were investigating whether other people were involved.  “The investigation is ongoing, and we will get to the bottom of it. There will be no room for impunity,” he said on X.  In a previous tweet, Sánchez offered a reward of up to 3 billion Colombian pesos (approximately US$728,000) “to anyone who provides information leading to the identification and capture of those responsible.”  The national government “categorically and forcefully rejected the attack on Uribe,” the Presidency said in a statement.  “This act of violence is an attack not only on the senator’s personal integrity, but also on democracy, freedom of thought, and the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia,” he added. 

In a statement, the Democratic Center condemned what was “an unacceptable act of violence.”  He added that Uribe was shot in the back at around 5:00 p.m. local time (10:00 p.m. GMT) while participating in an event in a park in the town of Fontibón, west of the capital.  “We strongly reject this attack, which not only endangers the life of a political leader but also threatens democracy and freedom in Colombia,” the party said.  Miguel Uribe is the grandson of Julio César Turbay, former president of Colombia (1978–1982), and the son of Diana Turbay, a journalist kidnapped by Pablo Escobar and killed in a rescue operation during the Extraditables crisis.

This episode was recounted by Gabriel García Márquez in his novel “Noticia de un secuestro.”  Uribe’s wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, reported on Saturday night that her husband was “fighting for his life.”  “I ask everyone to join us in a chain of prayer for Miguel’s life,” he added.  Uribe is a strong critic from the right of Colombia’s president, the leftist Gustavo Petro.  In response to Petro’s intention to call a referendum on labor reform by decree, something that all cabinet ministers would have to sign, Uribe said hours before the attack that he would sue them for malfeasance (an act by a public servant contrary to the law).

“Oh Colombia and its Eternal Violence”

Petro reacted to the attack against Uribe on his social media account X.  “Oh, Colombia and its eternal violence. They want to kill the son of an Arab woman in Bogotá, whom they had already murdered, and one should not kill in the heart of the world. They are killing both the son and the mother,” he said.  The Turbay family is of Lebanese descent.  “Respect life, that’s the red line. Colombia must not kill its children, because they are our children too. Mafias of the land, scum of humanity. May the Arab families who arrived in Colombia live in peace,” the president continued.  “Colombia welcomes the world, and doesn’t kill those who come from all corners of the planet.  My solidarity is with the Uribe family and the Turbay family.  

I don’t know how to ease their pain. It’s the pain of a lost mother and homeland,” he stated.  The Colombian Presidency reported that, due to the attack on Uribe, Petro canceled a trip abroad he had planned for Saturday night.  Later, in a televised speech, Petro stated that the attack against Uribe “is a failure of the State.”  “Today they defeated us,” he added.  The Colombian president wished Uribe a speedy recovery.  “We all know there’s a political distance between the Uribe Turbay family and the government, but it’s a political distance, and politics is free, and we’ve always advocated for it to be free of violence,” Petro said.  He added that “all protocols, at the highest level, and must now focus on discovering who the mastermind is,” and that he ordered an investigation into the political leader’s security team and the “failures that occurred.”  “There will be those responsible, starting with those responsible for your safety,” he said.

“Reject Hate Speech”

Former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez (2002-2010) rejected the attack in X.  “They attacked a hope of the country, a great husband, father, son, brother, a great coworker,” she noted.  “We pray to God for Miguel’s recovery. We place our trust in the doctors, the Armed Forces, and the justice system. We appeal to the public for reflection,” he added.  Former President Iván Duque stated that Colombians are “deeply dismayed” today.  “Let this be a moment to reject the messages of hate, violence, and intolerance that are being spread with perversity, and may all Colombians unite in the face of the challenges we face today as a nation,” he said. 

Above is Miguel Uribe Turbay left with former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez right in 2023

Chilean President Gabriel Boric expressed his “absolute condemnation of the attack against Miguel Uribe Turbay” and said that “in a democracy, violence has no place or justification.”  Paraguayan President Santiago Peña also expressed his condemnation.  U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the incident, stating that “this is a direct threat to democracy and the result of violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government.”  “Colombia cannot afford to return to the dark times of political violence. President Petro must moderate his inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials,” he asserted.  Colombia will hold elections in March 2026.

Panama Condemns the Attack on Colombian Senator and Presidential Candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay

The Government of Panama condemned the attack on Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, which occurred during a public event in Bogotá on Saturday, June 7.  In an official statement issued on June 8, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its regret over the attack and its solidarity with the people and government of the Republic of Colombia. It also extended a message of encouragement to the family and friends of the Colombian legislator, wishing him a speedy and full recovery.