Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Shot at Campaign Event
By Wafric - Politics
Wafricnews - june 8, 2025
Bogotá, Colombia – Colombia is reeling after the shocking shooting of opposition senator Miguel Uribe, a potential presidential candidate, who remains in critical condition after being attacked during a public event in Bogotá on Saturday. A 15-year-old boy has been arrested at the scene and is believed to be the gunman.
Uribe, 39, represents the Centro Democrático (Democratic Center) party, Colombia’s leading opposition bloc. He was addressing supporters in the capital’s Fontibón district when gunfire erupted, striking him twice in the back. Bystander footage captured the moment chaos broke out, with people scrambling for cover before Uribe was rushed to hospital by emergency responders.
Authorities confirmed the teenager was carrying a Glock pistol at the time of the arrest. While no official motive has been established, President Gustavo Petro stated there are strong suspicions the boy may have been acting under the influence of organized criminal groups.
President Petro: “We Will Find the Mastermind”
In a national address hours after the incident, President Petro condemned the shooting as an attack on Colombia’s democracy and promised a full investigation into those behind the scenes.
“No resource should be spared, not a single peso or moment of energy, to find the mastermind. Whether they’re hiding here or abroad—we will bring them to justice,” he declared.
Petro warned of a growing pattern in which criminal networks manipulate minors to carry out political or gang-related violence. He also raised concerns about possible ties to crime bosses involved in past assassinations of public figures.
The president urged Colombians to reject violence in politics, adding that democracy must be protected by all sides of the political divide.
A Political Family Marked by Violence
Miguel Uribe belongs to a prominent political lineage deeply affected by Colombia’s turbulent history. His grandfather, Julio César Turbay Ayala, served as president from 1978 to 1982. His mother, Diana Turbay, a respected journalist, was kidnapped and killed during a botched rescue mission in 1991 while held by Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel.
Uribe, a Harvard-educated politician, entered the Senate in 2022 after a successful stint in local Bogotá governance. Known for his strong pro-security and pro-investment positions, he announced his 2026 presidential bid last year—symbolically from the place where his mother lost her life.
“I could have grown up seeking revenge, but I chose to forgive, though I will never forget,” Uribe said during his campaign launch in 2024.
Police and witnesses at the scene of the shooting on Saturday nightMiguel Uribe is transported in an ambulance after being shot. Critical Condition, Global Condemnation
Uribe is currently undergoing neurosurgical and vascular procedures at Bogotá’s Santa Fe Foundation Hospital. Officials report his condition remains stable but critical.
Messages of support and condemnation of the attack have poured in from across the political spectrum—both within Colombia and internationally.
Former presidents Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Iván Duque, Ernesto Samper, and Juan Manuel Santos all issued public condemnations. The Democratic Center party, which includes both Uribe and Duque, called the attack “an assault on democracy.”
The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, issued a strong rebuke, linking the violence to what he described as “extremist rhetoric” from Colombia’s leadership and urged a more moderate tone in national politics.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez Suárez announced a $730,000 reward (approx. 3 billion pesos) for information leading to those behind the shooting.
President Petro later responded to Rubio’s comments, warning against the “political exploitation” of a national tragedy.
People hold candles during a vigil outside the Santa Fe hospital where Miguel Uribe is being treated.
Echoes of the Past, Warnings for the Future
The attempted assassination has revived painful memories of Colombia’s dark era of political violence in the 1980s and '90s, when presidential candidates and journalists were frequently targeted by drug cartels and paramilitary groups.
Uribe’s trajectory mirrors that of a new generation of Colombian leaders shaped by that violence, including Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán and Senator María José Pizarro—both children of assassinated presidential hopefuls.
As the 2026 presidential campaign slowly gains momentum, the attack on Miguel Uribe underscores the enduring fragility of Colombia’s democracy—and the dangerous cost of unresolved political violence.
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