BOGOTÁ — Colombia was left stunned after presidential hopeful and senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot during a campaign rally in Bogotá, in an attack that renewed fears of political violence ahead of the country’s 2026 election.
Authorities said Uribe, a conservative opposition figure, was addressing supporters in the capital on June 7, 2025, when a gunman opened fire from behind. He was struck multiple times, including in the head, and rushed to hospital in critical condition.
Police arrested a 15-year-old boy at the scene, identifying him as the prime suspect in what prosecutors described as an attempted assassination. Because of Colombian laws protecting minors, the teenager’s identity was not publicly released.
What Investigations Are Saying
Investigators said the suspect was carrying a Glock-style 9mm handgun when he was detained. Officials have not ruled out the involvement of accomplices or larger criminal networks, and the motive remains under investigation.
The shooting triggered widespread condemnation across Colombia’s political spectrum. President Gustavo Petro vowed a full investigation and said all resources would be used to uncover who ordered the attack.
Uribe, then 39, came from one of Colombia’s best-known political families. He was the grandson of former President Julio César Turbay Ayala and the son of journalist Diana Turbay, who was killed during a failed rescue operation after being kidnapped by Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel in 1991.
The assassination attempt raised painful memories of Colombia’s bloody past, when presidential candidates and public officials were routinely targeted by drug cartels and armed groups. Analysts warned the attack could heighten tensions during an already polarized election cycle.
Uribe later died in August 2025 after weeks in intensive care, turning the attempted assassination into one of Colombia’s most consequential political killings in decades.
