Miguel Uribe Assassination Attempt: Who Is the Colombian Presidential Candidate Shot In Bogota Attack?

Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe was shot during a public event in the Fontibon neighborhood of Bogota on Saturday, in what authorities and his political party are calling an assassination attempt. A suspect has been arrested in connection with the attack.

Who Is Miguel Uribe?

Miguel Uribe, 39, is a right-wing senator and a prominent member of the Democratic Center party-an opposition conservative party founded by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Despite sharing a last name, the two are not related.

Uribe has a tragic personal history: his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a failed rescue mission after being kidnapped by Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel, according to Reuters.

According to CBS News, Colombia has not seen such a high-profile political assassination attempt since the violent drug wars of the early 1990s, during Escobar's reign.

Details of the Assassination Attempt

Uribe was reportedly hosting a campaign rally in a public park when "armed subjects shot him in the back," his party stated. Graphic footage shared by Colombian outlet Semana showed Uribe with visible injuries to his head and back, soaked in blood as he was rushed to a medical facility.

Bogota Mayor Carlos Galán confirmed the attack and said Uribe was being treated in an emergency facility. He also noted that the city's hospital network was on high alert should Uribe need to be transferred to a different location for advanced treatment.

While officials have yet to confirm his current medical condition, local media reports suggest that Uribe is in critical condition.

Authorities have arrested one person suspected of carrying out the attack. Mayor Galán confirmed the arrest on Saturday evening.

The Colombian presidency condemned the incident in a strongly worded statement, saying the government "categorically and forcefully rejects this act of violence," and vowed a full investigation into the attack.

President Gustavo Petro also expressed solidarity with Uribe and his family, posting on X (formerly Twitter):

"I don't know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a wounded homeland."