A brutal assassination attempt on Colombian senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay has sent shock waves through the country, as the 39-year-old politician remains in critical condition following emergency surgery in Bogotá. Authorities say Uribe was shot twice in the head with one bullet piercing his neck while addressing a crowd Saturday afternoon in a middle-class neighborhood of Modelia.
The attack, captured on video, shows Uribe giving a campaign speech before multiple gunshots rang out, causing panic among attendees. Moments later, the senator was seen collapsed on the ground as bystanders and police rushed to his aid. He was transported by paramedics to a nearby medical facility before being moved to the Santa Fe Hospital, where he arrived at 8:30 pm. Miguel Uribe was submitted to neurosurgical and vascular surgery by Dr.Fernando Hakim, head of the neurosurgery department of the Santa Fe.
Miguel Uribe is a prominent figure from the conservative Centro Democrático party and had recently launched his campaign for the 2026 presidential election. His wife, María Claudia Tarazona, confirmed Sunday that he had survived the initial surgery. “He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his life,” she said in a recorded statement.
Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán, who visited the prestigious medical institution, called the hours following the procedure “critical,” urging all Colombians to unite in prayer. “He has survived the first surgery, which is a good sign. But these are crucial hours,” Galán told the press.
The General Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the assailant was a 15-year-old boy who fired a Glock pistol at close range. The teenager was arrested at the scene and is now in custody as authorities investigate the motive and whether others were involved. Two additional people were injured in the attack, officials said.
President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack and confirmed the capture of the minor suspect. “We cannot rule out any hypothesis,” the president stated on social media, adding that the authorities are deploying all available resources to determine who orchestrated the crime.
Carlos Fernando Triana, director of the National Police, announced a reward of up to 3,000 million Colombian pesos (approximately USD $730,000) for information leading to the identification of other suspects. “This vile and abominable act must not go unpunished,” Triana declared. “We are using all institutional capacities to find those responsible.”
International condemnation has been swift, with messages of solidarity pouring in from foreign leaders and governments.
Uribe Turbay hails from one of Colombia’s most prominent political families. He is the grandson of former President Julio César Turbay Ayala (1978–1982) and the son of journalist Diana Turbay, who was kidnapped and killed during a botched rescue operation in 1991 after being held by Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel. His grandmother, Nydia Quintero de Balcázar, is a well-known philanthropist.
A Harvard graduate and former Bogotá city councilor, Uribe entered the Senate in 2022 and quickly rose to national prominence as a vocal critic of institutional corruption and the Petro administration. He has built a reputation as a trustworthy public servant with strong positions on security, foreign investment, and government reform. In October 2024, Uribe officially launched his presidential bid at the site of his mother’s death, declaring, “I could have grown up seeking revenge, but I chose to do the right thing: forgive, but never forget.”
The Centro Democrático party, founded by former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, has yet to announce its official nominee for 2026. Saturday’s attempt on Miguel Uribe’s life, however, has cast a long shadow over the early stages of the campaign and raised fresh concerns about political violence in Colombia.
“This is not just an attack on Miguel Uribe,” said Senator Christian Garcés of the Centro Democrático party. “It’s an attack on democracy.”
As the country watches anxiously, doctors say the next 48 hours will be decisive for the senator’s recovery. No medical update has been released by the Santa Fe Hospital as of Saturday night. Colombians from all walks of life and political affiliations held a candle-light vigil outside the hospital.
On Sunday, at 10:00 am a “March for Life” will take place in the capital in solidarity with Miguel Turbay, and demonstration that begins in the financial district of the Calle 72 and ends at the Fundación Santa Fe in Usaquén.
Miguel Uribe has recently attended the annual banking conference – AsoBancaria – in the city of Cartegena where he demounced the appointment of Luis Eduardo Montealegre as the new Minister of Justice in President Gustavo Petro’s administration. According to Uribe, Montealegre’s appointment represents a “constitutional breach” at a time in which Petro has threatened to decree a national referendum on his health and labor reforms without the approval of the Colombian Senate.
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