Colombian Presidential Candidate Shot in the Head at Campaign Rally

Reuters

A persin holding a campaign poster of the Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay of the opposition D

Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay has been shot three times—reportedly twice in the head—during a campaign event in the Colombian capital, Bogota.

Mr Uribe, 39, was addressing a small gathering in a local park on Saturday, 8 June 2025, when the attack occurred. According to local media, police detained a 15-year-old suspect at the scene.

His wife, María Claudia Tarazona, appealed to the public for prayers, saying: “Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him.”

Uribe’s political party, Centro Democrático, strongly condemned the attack, describing it as a threat to "democracy and freedom in Colombia."

According to the AFP news agency, paramedics reported that Mr Uribe sustained gunshot wounds to the knee and head. He was airlifted to the Santa Fe Clinic, where supporters have since gathered to keep vigil.

The government of left-wing President Gustavo Petro issued a statement “categorically and forcefully” condemning the shooting, labelling it “an act of violence not only against his person, but also against democracy.”

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio also condemned the attack, describing it as “a direct threat to democracy.”

Mr Uribe declared his candidacy for the 2026 presidential election in October last year. He hails from a prominent political family with ties to Colombia’s Liberal Party. His father was both a trade union leader and businessman, while his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a failed rescue operation after being kidnapped by the Medellín drug cartel, then led by Pablo Escobar.



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