Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay shot at a rally in Bogotá

Published connected 08/06/2025 - 8:42 GMT+2•Updated 14:35

Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, a imaginable campaigner successful adjacent year's statesmanlike elections, was changeable and wounded astatine a run rally successful Bogotá connected Saturday, officials say.

His party, nan blimpish Democratic Centre, issued a connection calling nan incident "an unacceptable enactment of violence".

The onslaught occurred successful a parkland successful nan Fontibon neighbourhood erstwhile equipped assailants changeable him successful nan back, said nan Democratic Centre party, nan statement of erstwhile president Alvaro Uribe (no narration to Miguel Uribe).

Images circulating connected societal media show Uribe, 39, covered successful humor and held by respective people. A aesculapian connection from nan Fundación Santa Fe infirmary said nan legislator was admitted successful captious information and is undergoing a "neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure".

"Miguel is fighting for his life," his wife, María Claudia Tarazona, wrote connected nan senator's X account, asking Colombians to believe for him.

The Attorney General's Office, which is investigating nan attack, said nan legislator was changeable doubly successful nan attack, which besides near 2 different group injured. According to nan entity's statement, a 15-year-old was arrested astatine nan segment pinch a firearm.

The Colombian authorities announced that it is offering a reward for nan seizure of each those responsible.

"Respect life, that is nan reddish line," wrote President Gustavo Petro successful a connection connected his X account. Shortly aft that post, Petro cancelled a planned travel to France "due to nan seriousness of nan events", according to a statesmanlike statement.

Late Saturday night, aft starring an bonzer convention of nan Security Council, nan first leftist president successful Colombia's history promised "total transparency" successful nan investigation and to get to nan intelligence authors of nan attack. He besides announced an investigation into imaginable lapses successful nan senator's information detail.

Son of a journalist who was kidnapped and murdered

Uribe Turbay is nan boy of a journalist who was kidnapped and murdered successful 1991 during 1 of nan country's astir convulsive periods.

Colombia will clasp statesmanlike elections connected 31 May 2026, astatine nan extremity of Petro's term. The legislator announced his statesmanlike candidacy successful March.

The head of nan National Police, General Carlos Triana, said that astatine nan clip of nan attack, Uribe Turbay was accompanied by councillor Andrés Barrios and 20 different people.

A insignificant who allegedly participated successful nan onslaught was apprehended astatine nan segment and was being treated for a limb injury, he said.

Reactions were swift crossed Latin America. Chilean President Gabriel Boric said that "there is nary abstraction aliases justification for unit successful a democracy", while nan president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, stated that "we condemn each forms of unit and intolerance". Both presidents offered their solidarity to nan senator's family.