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Latin Times
Latin Times
Politics
Morgan Music

Teen Suspect Arrested As Colombian Presidential Hopeful Rushed to ICU After Being Shot in Head Twice

Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was transported by ambulance after being shot and wounded during a political event in Bogota on June 7, 2025. (Credit: RAUL ARBOLEDA/Getty Images)

Colombian presidential candidate and Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay remains in critical condition after he was shot twice in the head and once in the leg during a campaign rally in Bogotá on Saturday.

A 15-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene carrying a 9mm Glock-type firearm, according to the attorney general's office.

Uribe, 39, was addressing supporters in a park when the assailant opened fire from behind, sparking panic and chaos. Two bystanders were also wounded, CBS News reported. The senator was airlifted to Santa Fe Foundation Hospital, where he underwent emergency neurosurgery and vascular procedures.

"He fought the first battle and fought it well," said his wife, María Claudia Tarazona, in an audio message shared with local media. "He is fighting for his life."

The hospital confirmed with BBC on Sunday that Uribe remains in intensive care in "extremely serious" condition.

The minor who was allegedly involved in the attack was arrested at the scene and received treatment for a leg injury. His identity was not released.

A group of women light candles outside the Clinic Fundación Santa Fe, where Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is receiving medical treatment after being shot and wounded in Bogota on June 7, 2025. (Credit: Getty Images)

The attack sent shockwaves through Colombia and beyond.

"What matters most today is that all Colombians focus with the energy of our hearts, with our will to live... on ensuring that Dr Miguel Uribe stays alive," President Gustavo Petro said, condemning the shooting. He noted that "political difference" between Uribe and his administration exist, but emphasized it was "only political."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed the attack on "violent leftist rhetoric" from the Colombian government, calling on President Petro to "dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials."

Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez has offered a reward of 3 billion pesos (approx. $730,000) for information about those behind the plot.

Uribe, who announced his presidential candidacy earlier this year, is the son of journalist Diana Turbay, who was killed during a 1991 hostage rescue operation involving the Medellín cartel. His shooting has reignited fears of Colombia's dark legacy of political violence.

"We cannot return to situations of political violence, nor to times when violence was used to eliminate those who thought differently," said Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán.

© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

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