Right-Wing Colombian Presidential Candidate Shot in the Head by a Boy

Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, 39, was shot in Bogota on Saturday. Local media reported that he was in a local hospital, having arrived in critical condition.

The Senator was shot twice from behind. He underwent neurosurgery and peripheral vascular surgery late Saturday. According to NBC News, paramedics said Uribe was shot in the knee and twice in the head, according to Agence France Presse.

“He came out well from the surgery,” his wife told reporters in an audio recording after the operation, according to AFP. “He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his life.”

A 15-year-old boy was arrested for the attempted assassination and was in possession of a glock pistol. Mr. Uribe’s security are being investigated for protocol failures.

President Petro said he will spare no expense to find the mastermind behind the attack.

Mr. Petro was elected in 2022 in part on a promise to achieve what he called “total peace” — meaning peace deals with the country’s remaining armed groups.

But he has made little headway, and Mr. Uribe had frequently blamed the president for continuing violence in the country.

Details via NYT

The 39-year-old senator, who is running for the presidency in 2026, is a member of the opposition conservative Democratic Center party founded by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. The two men are not related.

Colombia’s Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said a suspect had been arrested in the shooting and that authorities were investigating whether others were involved. Sanchez said he had visited the hospital where Uribe was being treated.

Uribe is from a prominent family in Colombia, with links to the country’s Liberal Party. His father was a businessman and union leader. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by an armed group under the command of the late cartel leader Pablo Escobar. She was killed during a rescue operation.

BREAKING: Colombian Presidential Candidate Miguel Uribe Critically Wounded in Assassination Attempt at Rally pic.twitter.com/YDrCGdicFm

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