Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, shot during a campaign rally in Bogota’s Fontibon district on Saturday, remains in critical but stable condition at the Santa Fe Foundation hospital following extensive neurosurgical and vascular procedures.
The 39-year-old Democratic Center party member, a potential 2026 presidential candidate, was struck twice — in the head and chest — during the attack at El Golfito Park.
“He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his life,” his wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, stated in an audio shared with media.
Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan noted Uribe is in “the critical hours” of recovery, with supporters maintaining vigils outside the hospital, displaying Colombian flags and candles in solidarity.
The Colombian Attorney General’s Office confirmed a 15-year-old suspect, apprehended with a 9mm Glock-type firearm, is under medical treatment for injuries sustained during the incident.
President Gustavo Petro, who canceled international travel to oversee the response, emphasized, “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.”
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez, who visited the hospital, announced a 3 billion Colombian pesos ($730,000) reward for information on potential accomplices.
Authorities are exploring whether the attack, which also injured two bystanders, was orchestrated, though no motive or prior threats against Uribe have been confirmed.
The shooting has prompted renewed international and domestic calls to address Colombia’s history of political violence.
Spain’s Foreign Ministry declared, “The Government of Spain strongly condemns the assassination attempt against Colombian senator and presidential pre-candidate Miguel Uribe, to whom it extends its solidarity and wishes for a speedy recovery.”
Leaders from Chile and Ecuador echoed similar sentiments, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the attack a “direct threat to democracy.”
As Colombia prepares for the 2026 presidential election, the incident has heightened concerns about candidate safety, recalling the assassinations of figures like Luis Carlos Galan in 1989.