TEHRAN (Tasnim) Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe is in critical condition after being shot during a political event in Bogot, prompting widespread condemnation across the political spectrum.
- World news -Senator Uribe, a contender for the 2026 presidential election, was shot on Saturday in Bogots Fontibn district.
Uribe, 39, is a member of the center-right Democratic Center party, the countrys largest opposition group.
He had recently expressed his intention to run for president.
The Attorney Generals Office said Uribe was shot twice and remains in critical but stable condition.
Police arrested a 15-year-old suspect at the scene carrying a Glock pistol.
Uribe was participating in a campaign event when he was attacked, according to his party.
Video footage showed police and civilians rushing him into an ambulance.
"Uribes condition is stable, still in critical condition," Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo told Caracol TV.
His wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, posted on his X account asking for prayers.
Miguel is fighting for his life right now. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him, she wrote.
Uribe comes from a prominent political lineage.
He is the grandson of former President Julio Csar Turbay Ayala, who led Colombia from 1978 to 1982.
His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped and later killed during a rescue operation in 1991.
His grandmother, Nydia Quintero de Balczar, founded the humanitarian group Solidarity for Colombia.
Uribe entered the Senate in 2022, following a career in local politics in Bogot.
He represents the right wing of Colombian politics and supports foreign investment and national security.
In October 2024, he announced his candidacy at the site of his mothers death.
I could have grown up seeking revenge, but I decided to do the right thing: forgive, but never forget, he said at the time.
His party has not yet selected an official presidential candidate.
The shooting has sparked condemnation from across the political landscape.
President Gustavo Petro posted on X: I dont know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a wounded homeland.
The Foreign Ministry called the attack a direct affront to democracy, respect for differences, and the free exercise of politics in our country.
It urged authorities to fully clarify this serious incident.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms, calling it a direct threat to democracy.
Rubio blamed the violence on the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government.
He urged Colombian officials to tone down the inflammatory rhetoric.
The Democratic Center party called the shooting an unacceptable act of violence.
We strongly reject this attack, which not only endangers the life of a political leader but also threatens democracy and freedom in Colombia, the party said.
Former presidents Ernesto Samper, lvaro Uribe Vlez, Juan Manuel Santos, and Ivn Duque also condemned the attack.
Centro Democrtico is the political home of both Uribe and Duque.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa expressed solidarity with Uribes family and condemned all forms of violence and intolerance.
The attack has revived painful memories of Colombias violent political past.
In the late 1980s and early 90s, several presidential candidates were assassinated.
Uribe is part of a generation of leaders shaped by that history.
He shares that legacy with Bogot Mayor Carlos Fernando Galn, son of assassinated leader Luis Carlos Galn.
His Senate rival, Mara Jos Pizarro, is the daughter of Carlos Pizarro Leongmez, who was murdered during his 1990 presidential run.
