Colombian senator shot on streets of Bogotá

Whoever planned the assassination attempt 'clearly had the intention to stir up the country'

(Image credit: Raul Arboleda / AFP via Getty Images)

published 9 June 2025

What happened

Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay, shot in the head and back during a rally in Bogotá on Saturday, was in "extremely serious" condition after surgery Sunday, according to the hospital he was airlifted to after the assassination attempt. Uribe, a 39-year-old conservative lawmaker, announced his candidacy in October for next year's presidential election.

Who said what

Uribe's shooting "brought back memories of the violence perpetrated by cocaine cartels and other armed groups" that slayed four presidential candidates and hundreds of other politicians, The Wall Street Journal said. Uribe's mother, prominent journalist Diana Turbay, was killed during a "botched rescue" in 1991 after being kidnapped by drug lord Pablo Escobar. His grandfather Julio César Turbay was president from 1978 to 1982.

A 15-year-old suspect carrying a 9mm Glock-type handgun was captured at the scene. The shooting, filmed on dozens of smartphone cameras, has highlighted how old cycles of political violence hit "even inside families that have been suffering its consequences for decades," Crisis Group security analyst Elizabeth Dickinson told The Associated Press. Whoever planned the assassination attempt "clearly had the intention to stir up the country."

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What next?

Police have "offered no motive," for the attack, The New York Times said. Uribe had criticized stalled efforts by leftist President Gustavo Petro to strike peace deals with armed rebel groups, but he "has not been any more outspoken or critical" than "other conservatives in Colombia, and he was not considered a leading presidential candidate." Petro's government offered a $730,000 reward for information on who was behind the "vile" attack.

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.