Colombian Presidential Candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay Shot Twice in the Head at Campaign Rally

Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay is in critical condition after being shot three times—twice in the head—during a campaign rally in Bogotá on Saturday night.

The 39-year-old opposition senator was addressing a small gathering of supporters in a public park when the attack unfolded. Local police have arrested a 15-year-old suspect at the scene, but the motive remains unknown.

Uribe, a candidate for the right-wing Centro Democrático party, was quickly airlifted to Santa Fe Clinic, where he underwent emergency surgery. Medical sources say he sustained gunshot wounds to the knee and skull, describing his condition as “grave.”

His wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, made an emotional appeal for prayers:
“Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him.”

Shocking footage of the attack has circulated online, showing the moment Uribe collapsed mid-speech as the crowd scattered in panic. Outside the hospital, supporters have gathered in vigil, praying and chanting for his recovery.

The attempted assassination has drawn swift and widespread condemnation. President Gustavo Petro’s administration called the shooting “an attack not only against [Uribe] but against democracy itself,” while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described it as “a direct threat to democracy.”

Uribe, who launched his presidential bid in October 2024, is a member of one of Colombia’s most prominent political families. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a failed rescue operation after being kidnapped by Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel.

His party, founded by former President Álvaro Uribe, released a statement calling the shooting an attack that “endangers democracy and freedom in Colombia.”