Who is Miguel Uribe? Colombian Senator and presidential candidate shot in Bogota
Miguel Uribe's party said the senator was hosting a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighborhood in the capital on Saturday when “armed subjects shot him in the back.”
Miguel Uribe, a presidential candidate in Colombia, was shot at an event in Bogot on Saturday. The government and his party reportedly confirmed the incident. A suspect was arrested in connection with the assassination attempt.
Who is Miguel Uribe?
Miguel Uribe, 39, is a right-wing senator and member of the opposition conservative Democratic Center party founded by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. The two men are not related.
Uribe's mother, the journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a rescue operation after she was kidnapped by Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel, Reuters reported.
According to CBS news, an assassination attempt on a high profile political figure has not been seen in Columbia since the era of drug lord Pablo Escobar in the early 1990s.
Assassination attempt
Uribe's party condemned the attack and said the senator was hosting a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighborhood in the capital on Saturday when "armed subjects shot him in the back."
Uribe, whose head and back were covered in blood, was taken to a medical center in the city, according to Semana.
The mayor of Bogota, Carlos Galan, said Uribe was receiving emergency care after being attacked in the Fontibon district and that the "entire hospital network" of the Colombian capital was on alert in case he needed to be transferred.
While there was no immediate confirmation from the authorities on the status of his condition, media reports claimed Miguel Uribe was in critical condition.
One person was arrested in connection with the attack. The mayor of Bogota confirmed that the suspected attacker has been arrested.
Colombia's presidency issued a statement saying the government "categorically and forcefully" rejected the violent attack, and called for a thorough investigation into the events that took place.
“I don’t know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a wounded homeland," Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted on X.
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