A Colombian senator and presidential hopeful was shot on Saturday while at a campaign event in Bogota, according to multiple reports.
Miguel Uribe, 39 and a member of the right-wing Democratic Center party, was holding an event in Fontibon, a suburb of the capital city, when he was reportedly shot three times, including twice in the head.
Bogota Mayor Carlos Galan revealed shortly after Uribe’s hospitalization that the Colombian senator was receiving “emergency care” and the hospital network “is on alert in case he requires transfer.” Uribe’s wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, said on Saturday night that her husband is “fighting for his life.”
Galan said one suspect has been arrested, with later reporting indicating the suspect is 15 years old.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who is of the left-wing Humane Colombia party, expressed his condolences to Uribe’s family in a post on X.
“My solidarity with the Uribe family and the Turbay family. I don’t know how to ease their pain,” Petro posted.
U.S. officials also condemned the assassination attempt, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose statement included a direct rebuke of Petro’s “inflammatory rhetoric.”
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“The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe. This is a direct threat to democracy and the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government. Having seen firsthand Colombia’s progress over the past few decades to consolidate security and democracy, it can’t afford to go back to dark days of political violence. President Petro needs to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials,” Rubio posted on X.
Uribe announced his presidential run last October. Colombia’s presidential elections are set to be held in May 2026.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
