Colombian presidential candidate shot in head at Bogota rally, teenager arrested

Bogota (Coloumbia): Colombian Sen Miguel Uribe Turbay, a possible candidate in the country's presidential election next year, was shot and wounded at a campaign rally in Bogota on Saturday, authorities said. His conservative Democratic Centre party released a statement calling it “an unacceptable act of violence.” The attack took place in a park in the Fontibon neighbourhood when armed assailants shot him from behind, said the right-wing Democratic Centre, which was the party of former President Alvaro Uribe. The men are not related. Images circulating on social media showed Uribe Turbay, 39, covered in blood being held by several people. A medical report from the Santa Fe Foundation hospital said the senator was admitted in critical condition and is undergoing a “neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure.”

“Miguel is fighting for his life,” his wife, María Claudia Tarazona, wrote on the senator's X account, urging Colombians to pray for him. The Attorney General's Office, which is investigating the shooting, said the senator received two gunshot wounds in the attack, which wounded two others. The statement from the office said a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene with a firearm. Colombia's government said it was offering a reward for the capture of all those responsible. “Respect life, that's the red line,” President Gustavo Petro said in a message posted on his X account. Shortly after making the post, Petro cancelled a planned trip to France "due to the seriousness of the events,” according to a presidential statement. Late Saturday night, after leading an extraordinary Security Council session, Colombia's first leftist president promised “complete transparency” in the investigation and to find the intellectual authors of the attack. He also promised an investigation into any failures by the senator's bodyguards. Uribe Turbay is the son of a journalist who was kidnapped and killed in 1991 during one of the country's most violent periods. Colombia will hold a presidential election on May 31, 2026, marking the end of Petro's term. The senator announced his presidential bid in March. Colombian police chief Gen Carlos Triana said that at the time of the attack Uribe Turbay was accompanied by Councilman Andrés Barrios and 20 other people. A minor who allegedly participated in the attack was apprehended at the scene and was being treated for a leg injury, he said.

"I have ordered the Colombian military and police forces and intelligence agencies to deploy all their capabilities to urgently clarify the facts,” said Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the “United State condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe.” and he urged President Petro “to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials.” “This is a direct threat to democracy and the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government,” Rubio said. Reactions poured in from around Latin America, with Chilean President Gabriel Boric saying “there is no room or justification for violence in a democracy,” and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa saying “we condemn all forms of violence and intolerance.” Both presidents offered solidarity to the senator's family. In Colombia, former President Uribe said "they attacked the hope of the country, a great husband, father, son, brother, a great colleague.”