BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, a prominent opposition figure and declared candidate for the 2026 presidential election, was shot in the back Saturday during a campaign event in Bogotá, officials confirmed. He is currently hospitalized in serious condition, according to local media and party sources.
Uribe, 39, is a member of the Democratic Center party, the conservative opposition faction founded by former President Álvaro Uribe. Despite sharing a last name, the two men are not related. The shooting occurred while the senator was addressing supporters at a public park in Bogotá’s Fontibón neighborhood, the party said in a statement.
The attack has been widely condemned by government leaders and political parties across Colombia. The Presidency of Colombia released a statement denouncing the “violent attack” and called for an exhaustive investigation into the shooting.
Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed that a suspect had been arrested shortly after the incident and said that authorities are examining whether additional individuals may have been involved. He also visited the hospital where Uribe is being treated.
The Democratic Center party described the shooting as “serious” but did not release further information regarding the senator’s prognosis.
Uribe hails from a well-known Colombian family with longstanding ties to the Liberal Party. His father was a businessman and labor leader. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by a group affiliated with Pablo Escobar and died during a government rescue operation, a tragedy that drew national attention and helped shape Uribe’s political trajectory.
President Gustavo Petro, a leftist and frequent ideological opponent of Uribe’s party, expressed solidarity in a statement posted to social media. “I don’t know how to ease your pain,” Petro wrote. “It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a homeland.”
Colombia continues to grapple with deep political divisions and the lingering effects of its decades-long conflict involving leftist guerrillas, paramilitary factions, and criminal cartels. Political violence has declined in recent years but still poses a threat to public figures, particularly during election seasons.
The shooting marks one of the most serious incidents involving a presidential contender in recent Colombian history and raises concerns about security in the lead-up to the 2026 vote.
