Conservative Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay Shot at Campaign Rally Amid Escalating Political Tensions

By: Ariella Haviv

In a shocking resurgence of political violence that has drawn comparisons to Colombia’s darkest years, conservative Senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot from behind on Saturday while addressing a campaign event in Bogotá. As The New York Times reported, the attack has rattled the nation’s political establishment and reignited fears about the security of democratic institutions in a country already mired in rural conflict and mounting ideological divisions.

The 39-year-old lawmaker, a rising figure in the opposition Democratic Center party and grandson of former Colombian President Julio César Turbay, was delivering remarks to a small crowd when he visibly winced and collapsed. Verified video footage published by The New York Times shows Uribe reeling from the apparent gunshot, followed by scenes of bystanders applying pressure to a head wound and carrying him away from the scene in a desperate effort to save his life.

His political party called the incident “an unacceptable act of violence” in a public statement, asserting, “We energetically reject this attack that not only endangers the life of a political leader, but also threatens democracy and freedom in Colombia.”

President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first leftist head of state, responded swiftly to the attempted assassination, canceling an official visit to France and expressing solidarity with Uribe’s family. “My solidarity with the Uribe family and the Turbay family,” Petro wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I don’t know how to ease their pain.”

Petro’s administration has faced growing criticism from conservative leaders such as Uribe over his attempts to overhaul Colombia’s labor system and pursue ambitious peace negotiations with armed groups, many of whom remain active in Colombia’s rural heartlands. The president’s “total peace” plan, aimed at disarming guerrilla and criminal factions through negotiated settlements, has produced limited results — a fact that Uribe and his allies have not hesitated to highlight.

As The New York Times report noted, the political climate has become increasingly volatile, with the shooting likely to further erode public trust in both security and governance.

At a press conference on Saturday evening, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed that one suspect was in custody and that investigations were underway to determine if additional actors were involved. The suspect’s identity and possible motives remain undisclosed.

“We are checking to see if there are any other people involved,” Sánchez stated on X, adding that the government was offering a reward of 3 billion Colombian pesos (approximately $730,000) for information leading to the apprehension of others involved. “This attack pains us. It mobilizes us to redouble our efforts to protect life, guarantee free political participation, and deliver justice.”

The military, national police, and intelligence agencies have reportedly been ordered to “deploy all their capabilities” to bring the perpetrators to justice, according to the report in The New York Times.

Miguel Uribe Turbay is the grandson of former President Julio César Turbay, who governed Colombia from 1978 to 1982. His family has a storied — and tragic — history in Colombian political life. His mother, Diana Turbay, a journalist and the daughter of the former president, was kidnapped by the Medellín Cartel in 1990 and later died in a botched rescue operation in 1991. Her death was famously chronicled by Nobel Laureate Gabriel García Márquez in his nonfiction work News of a Kidnapping.

The Uribe name carries considerable weight in Colombian politics, though the senator is not related to Álvaro Uribe Vélez, the influential former president who led the country from 2002 to 2010 and remains a dominant voice on the right.

Though not currently a frontrunner, Senator Uribe had declared his intention to seek the Democratic Center’s nomination for the presidential election slated for May 31, 2026. His reputation as a “rising star,” as political analyst Sergio Guzmán described him to The New York Times, made him a key player in shaping the opposition’s message.

“This doesn’t feel like we are moving forward,” Guzmán said. “This feels like we’re moving backward.”

While Colombia has seen persistent conflict in rural areas — fueled by drug trafficking, land disputes, and guerrilla warfare — the capital has remained largely insulated from overt political violence in recent years. Saturday’s shooting marks a chilling deviation from that trend.

The attack also raises questions about security ahead of next year’s presidential elections, particularly for outspoken critics of the government. For many Colombians, the episode resurrects memories of the 1990s and early 2000s, when violence, assassinations, and kidnappings of political figures were grimly common.

On Saturday night, Uribe’s wife, María Claudia Tarazona, issued a heartfelt plea to the public. “Miguel is currently fighting for his life,” she wrote from the senator’s account on X. “I ask everyone to join us in a chain of prayer for Miguel’s life.”

As reported by The New York Times, the nation is holding its breath. Whether this attack turns out to be an isolated act or a harbinger of a broader trend, it has already shaken Colombia’s fragile political order.

Saturday’s attempted assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is a grim reminder that violence continues to haunt Colombia’s democracy, even amid years of progress and peace negotiations. With security agencies on high alert and political tensions rising, the path to next year’s election may prove to be more perilous than expected. As The New York Times and other observers have warned, the country now faces a moment of reckoning: whether it can rise above its violent past or risks falling back into it.