Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay shot THREE times including twice in head by teenage ‘sicario’ as he addressed 250 supporters – with US blaming ‘violent leftist rhetoric’ as Colombia fears return to dark days of Pablo Escobar
A Colombian presidential candidate was fighting for his life last night after being shot in the head by a 15-year-old assassin during a campaign rally in the capital Bogotá, in an attack that has sent shockwaves through a nation haunted by memories of political violence.
Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, 39, was shot three times – including twice in the head and once in the knee – as he addressed approximately 250 supporters in a park in the Fontibon neighborhood on Saturday afternoon.
Dramatic video footage captured the moment multiple gunshots rang out at 5pm, sending the crowd into panic as the right-wing politician collapsed in a pool of blood, with supporters screaming and running for cover.
The teenage gunman, described by authorities as a ‘sicario’ or paid hitman, was arrested at the scene carrying a Glock pistol after attempting to flee with a leg injury. A second shooter remains at large.
‘Fighting for His Life’
Uribe Turbay was rushed by ambulance to a local clinic where he was stabilized before being transferred to the prestigious Fundación Santa Fe Hospital, where he underwent emergency neurosurgery and vascular procedures.
Miguel is fighting for his life right now. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him,” his wife Maria Claudia Tarazona wrote on X, urging Colombians to pray for her husband.
Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán confirmed Sunday morning that the senator had “overcome the first surgical intervention” but warned he had entered “the critical hours” of recovery.
The hospital described his condition as critical, with sources suggesting the Harvard-educated politician had been shot from behind in what appeared to be a carefully planned assassination attempt.
US Blames ‘Violent Leftist Rhetoric’
The attack triggered an extraordinary diplomatic intervention from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who condemned the shooting as “a direct threat to democracy” and blamed Colombia’s leftist government for creating a climate of violence.
“This is the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government,” Rubio declared in a strongly-worded statement late Saturday.
Having seen firsthand Colombia’s progress over the past few decades to consolidate security and democracy, it can’t afford to go back to dark days of political violence. President Petro needs to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials.”
The explosive accusation came without citing specific examples of inflammatory rhetoric from President Gustavo Petro’s administration.
Echoes of Pablo Escobar Era
The assassination attempt has sent chills through Colombia, evoking memories of the country’s darkest period when drug cartels routinely murdered politicians who opposed them.
Uribe Turbay himself is a tragic symbol of that era – his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped by Pablo Escobar’s Medellín Cartel in 1990 and killed during a botched rescue operation in 1991.
Hours before Saturday’s shooting, the senator had recounted his mother’s death at a public event, showing a photograph of them together and declaring that her assassination had shaped his life but that he had chosen to “forgive, but never forget.
The attack drew immediate comparisons to the 1989 assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán, who was gunned down by Escobar’s hitmen – a murder that marked the peak of cartel violence in Colombia.
$730,000 Reward Offered
Colombian authorities launched a massive manhunt for the attack’s masterminds, with Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez offering a reward of 3 billion pesos ($730,000) for information leading to those responsible.
I have ordered the Colombian military and police forces and intelligence agencies to deploy all their capabilities to urgently clarify the facts,” Sánchez declared.
President Petro, who has faced fierce criticism from Uribe Turbay and his Democratic Center party, condemned the attack and promised “total transparency” in the investigation.
“Respect life, that’s the red line,” Petro said in a late-night address. “My solidarity is with the Uribe family and the Turbay family. I don’t know how to ease their pain.”
The leftist president, himself a former guerrilla, speculated that “crime bosses” may be responsible and suggested the use of a minor as the shooter pointed to organized criminals “taking advantage” of children.
Political Dynasty Under Attack
Miguel Uribe Turbay comes from one of Colombia’s most prominent political families. His grandfather, Julio César Turbay Ayala, served as president from 1978 to 1982, while his grandmother Nydia Quintero founded the humanitarian organization Solidarity for Colombia.
The Harvard graduate entered the Senate in 2022 after a career in Bogotá politics and quickly emerged as a leading voice of the conservative opposition to Petro’s leftist government.
He announced his presidential bid last October from the site where his mother was killed, positioning himself as the candidate of security and foreign investment in a country still grappling with violence from rebel groups and drug traffickers.
I could have grown up seeking revenge, but I decided to do the right thing: forgive, but never forget,” he said at the time.
Nation on Edge
The attack has plunged Colombia into political crisis just as the country prepares for presidential elections on May 31, 2026, when Petro’s term ends.
Multiple presidential hopefuls called for enhanced security protection, with journalist-turned-candidate Vicky Dávila warning: “Today I ask the international community to make an urgent and effective plan to take care of Colombia’s presidential candidates and our families.
Elizabeth Dickinson, Senior Colombia Analyst at Crisis Group International, warned that whoever ordered the assassination “very clearly had the intention of throwing gas onto a fire, trying to be incendiary in an electoral context that is already deeply polarized.
Essentially what we have tonight is a return to a very dark era of politics in Colombia when violence was used as a political tool at the highest level of elections,” she said.
Vigils Across Bogotá
As news of the shooting spread, hundreds gathered outside the Santa Fe hospital for candlelit vigils, praying for the senator’s recovery.
Former presidents from across the political spectrum condemned the attack, including Álvaro Uribe (no relation), Juan Manuel Santos, Iván Duque, and Ernesto Samper.
They attacked the hope of the country, a great husband, father, son, brother, a great colleague,” said former President Álvaro Uribe, founder of the Democratic Center party.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared “there is no room or justification for violence in a democracy,” while Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said “we condemn all forms of violence and intolerance.
Investigation Focuses on Teen Hitman
Police revealed the 15-year-old shooter was apprehended at the scene and is being treated for a leg injury sustained during his attempted escape.
General Carlos Triana, director of Colombia’s National Police, said the teenager was carrying a Glock pistol and confirmed that a second suspect remained at large.
The use of a minor as an assassin – a common tactic during the cartel wars – has raised fears that organized crime may be returning to political violence as a tool of intimidation.
Authorities are investigating whether the attack was ordered by criminal groups opposed to Uribe Turbay’s tough security stance or represents a broader attempt to destabilize Colombia’s democracy ahead of next year’s elections.
As Colombia holds its breath for news of the senator’s condition, the attack serves as a chilling reminder that despite decades of progress since the Pablo Escobar era, the specter of political violence still haunts this troubled nation.
