Colombian presidential pre-candidate and current senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot and critically wounded during a campaign event in Bogota on Saturday. The attack occurred in the Fontibon district as Uribe Turbay was leaving a public gathering. According to official reports, the assailant—identified as a 15-year-old male—fired six shots, striking the candidate three times, including twice in the head. The attacker was apprehended at the scene by the senator’s security personnel after a brief exchange of gunfire.
Uribe Turbay, 39, was immediately transported to Fundacion Santa Fe Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. Medical officials described his condition as “extremely serious,” with his prognosis remaining uncertain as of Sunday morning. The incident has sent shockwaves through Colombia’s political landscape, reviving fears of a resurgence in targeted political violence that once defined the country’s darkest decades.
Authorities confirmed that two bystanders were also injured during the chaos. In response to the severity of the attack, the Colombian government announced a reward of 3 billion pesos (approximately $730,000) for information leading to those responsible for orchestrating the act. Initial investigations suggest the possibility of broader political motivations, though no group has officially claimed responsibility.
Uribe Turbay, a vocal critic of President Gustavo Petro’s administration, has gained prominence for his hardline stances on national security, economic sovereignty, and traditional values. His platform has resonated with segments of the electorate disillusioned by the Petro government’s leftist policies and perceived weakening of institutional stability. As the grandson of former President Julio Cesar Turbay and the son of journalist Diana Turbay—who was kidnapped and killed in 1991—Uribe Turbay embodies a generational narrative shaped by Colombia’s long history of political violence and ideological conflict.
In a brief statement, President Petro condemned the attack and called for a thorough investigation. Bogota’s mayor also urged calm, warning against political speculation until more details emerge. However, conservative figures across the country have interpreted the shooting as a symptom of a broader erosion of civic order under the current administration. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio issued a statement citing the attack as evidence of a growing threat to democratic voices in Colombia, which he attributed to an increasingly hostile political climate.
The attempted assassination of Miguel Uribe Turbay has deepened existing political fault lines in Colombia. For the country’s conservative base, the incident underscores the urgency of restoring national security, reinforcing state authority, and defending Colombia’s cultural and political identity against ideologies perceived as subversive or destabilizing. The attack also raises questions about the safety of political participation ahead of the next election cycle.
As Uribe Turbay remains in intensive care, his supporters have called for unity and resilience. Yet the gravity of the event serves as a stark reminder of the country’s unresolved tensions, where political dissent can still provoke deadly consequences. The coming days will likely determine not only the fate of one of Colombia’s leading right-wing candidates, but also the direction of its fragile democratic trajectory.