Miguel Uribe Turbay, a Colombian presidential candidate, is in critical condition after being shot three times—reportedly twice in the head—during a campaign appearance in Bogotá on Saturday.
The 39-year-old was addressing a small crowd in a city park when the shooting occurred. Authorities say a 15-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene shortly after the attack.
Uribe’s wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, called on Colombians to pray for her husband’s recovery. “Miguel is fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the doctors treating him,” she said.
The shooting has sparked widespread condemnation. Uribe’s party, Centro Democrático, labeled the attack a direct assault on Colombia’s democratic principles. “This threatens democracy and freedom in Colombia,” the party said in a statement.
Mobile phone footage circulating online appears to capture the moment Uribe was shot mid-speech, causing chaos as attendees fled. Paramedics confirmed he sustained gunshot wounds to the knee and head and was airlifted to Santa Fe Clinic, where supporters have since gathered in a vigil.
President Gustavo Petro’s administration issued a strong condemnation, describing the shooting as “an act of violence not only against a person but against democracy itself.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also weighed in, calling the attack “a direct threat to democracy.”
Uribe, a prominent figure from a politically influential family, announced his 2026 presidential bid in October. He has deep ties to the Liberal Party and Colombia’s political establishment. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a failed rescue mission following her abduction by the Medellín cartel. His father was a businessman and union leader.
