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Colombian presidential hope miguel uribe turbay “fights for his life” after being killed During a campaign Rally in the capital, Bogota.
The assault took place on Saturday in a park while the country is preparing for the presidential election of next year. Uribe, a 39 -year -old senator, was shot dead twice – in the head and chest, according to the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia.
The suspect is a 15 -year -old who is in detention.
Here is what you need to know about the current incident and status of uribe:
What happened to the rally?
Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, who seeks to present himself in the 2026 presidential elections, was killed from behind during a campaign rally around 5 p.m. (10:00 p.m. GMT) at the El Golfito Park in the Bogota Fonbon district.
A video Check by the New York Times shows that Uibe was filmed in the middle of his speech. Images of the shooting scene have shown that Uibe sank against the hood of a white car, smeared with blood, while a group of men tried to hold it and stop bleeding.
According to local media, he first stabilized in a neighboring clinic before being transported by plane to the Santa Fe Foundation hospital. THE Hospital confirmed It arrived around 8:30 p.m. Saturday (01:30 GMT on Sunday).
A security guard managed to hold the alleged striker, a minor who would be 15 years old. The director of the national police, Carlos Fernando Triana, said that the suspect had been injured and received treatment.
Two others – a man and a woman – were also injured. But no detail was available regarding their identity.
What is uribe’s health now?
It is stable but still in critical condition after emerging Sunday from a “peripheral vascular procedure” and “peripheral”, according to the hospital.
He “overcome the first surgical procedure”, the mayor of Bogota, Carlos Fernando Galan, added to the media, adding that he had entered the “critical hours” of recovery.
“He fought the first battle and fought him well. He fights for his life,” was heard of Uribe’s wife in an audio recording shared with the media.
Who is Miguel Uibe Turbay?
Uibe was elected senator in 2022 under the party of the Conservative Democratic Center, founded by former president Alvaro Uibe, to whom he is not linked.
The former president described the shooting as an attack on “a hope for the country”.
The maternal grandfather of Uibe, Julio Cesar Turbay Ayala, was president from 1978 to 1982. He was also the son of journalist Diana Turbay, who was kidnapped in 1990 by the Medellin Cartel of Pablo Escobar. She died in an empowerment operation by Colombian forces a few months later.
Uribe has occupied several public offices, including the member of the Bogota municipal council (2012-2015) and the government secretary of Bogota (2016-2018). He also presented himself for the mayor of the capital in 2019 but lost this election.
Who attacked Uibe?
The prosecutor’s office confirmed that a 15 -year -old boy had been arrested on the scene with a “9 mm Glock type gun”. Witnesses had also described having seen a young attacker opened fire behind uribe before being moderate by bodyguards and civilians.
The suspect remains in detention with the in progress investigations to determine if there were accomplices.
What was the motif behind the shooting?
No reason has been established and the authorities have declared any specific threat to the politician before the incident.
But the country is home to several armed groups and powerful cartels, and has a long history of political violence.
In the 1980s and 1990s, at least five presidential candidates were murdered by drug cartels, paramilitaries or political opponents.
One of these cases was the assassination of Luis Carlos Galan in 1989. Galan was a leading presidential candidate known for his strong anti -corruption position and his opposition to drug trafficking. He had to win the presidency the following year.
A 2016 agreement was aimed at bringing lasting peace to the country by disarming the rebels of the left -wing revolutionary armed forces of Colombia (FARC).
When is the next presidential election in Colombia?
The next presidential election of Colombia is scheduled for May, and the current leftist president Gustavo Petro is not eligible to present himself due to the limits of the mandate. A runoff will take place if necessary.
Uibe, who is a right -wing critic from Petro, announced his intention to present himself to the presidency in March.
What are the reactions?
The attack led to strong reactions from local and international leaders.
Petro promised an investigation.
“What matters most today is that all Colombians focus with the energy of our hearts, with our desire to live … by ensuring that Dr. Miguel Uribe remains alibe.”
In a previous statement, Petro condemned violence as “an attack not only against his person, but also against democracy, freedom of thought and the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia”.
“Respect life, it’s the red line. … My solidarity (is) with the Uibe family and the Turbay family. I don’t know how to relieve their pain, ”he posted on X.
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez has mobilized military and intelligence resources and announced a reward of 3 billion Colombian pesos ($ 730,000) for information on the shooting.
Secretary of State of the United States Marco Rubio published a statement To say that the United States condemns the attack “in the strongest possible terms” and considers it as a “direct threat to democracy”. He also called Petro to “backfire inflammatory rhetoric” and protect civil servants.
The leaders of Latin America also condemned the attack.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric said: “There is no place or justification for violence in a democracy”, while Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa denounced “all forms of violence and intolerance”. The two expressed their solidarity with the Uribe family.
