Assassination of Miguel Uribe Turbay
| Assassination of Miguel Uribe Turbay | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 2026 Colombian presidential election | |
 Uribe Turbay in 2019 | |
  El Golfito Park | |
| Location | El Golfito Park, Modelia, Fontibón, Bogotá, Colombia |
| Coordinates | 4°41′09″N 74°08′39″W / 4.6857°N 74.1442°W |
| Date | 7 June 2025 c. 5:00 p.m. (UTC−05:00) |
| Target | Miguel Uribe Turbay |
Attack type | Assassination, shooting |
| Weapons | 9mm Glock-style pistol |
| Deaths | 1 (Uribe; died in August 2025) |
| Injured | 3 (including the suspect) |
| Motive | Under investigation |
| Accused | 1 (plus 1 accomplice) |
On 7 June 2025, Miguel Uribe Turbay, a senator and pre-candidate in the 2026 Colombian presidential election, was shot from behind during a rally at El Golfito Park in Modelia, Fontibón, Bogotá, Colombia. He remained hospitalised in critical condition and died two months later, on 11 August 2025.[1][2][3]
Background
[edit]Miguel Uribe Turbay was a conservative Colombian politician. His grandfather, Julio César Turbay Ayala, was the 25th president of Colombia and his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped by the Medellín Cartel in 1990 and killed during a botched rescue attempt the following year.[4] At the time of the attack, Uribe Turbay was serving as a member of the Senate of Colombia and running as a pre-candidate for the Democratic Centre in the 2026 presidential election.[5]
Attack
[edit]On 7 June 2025, Uribe Turbay was shot from behind during a rally at El Golfito Park in Modelia, Fontibón, Bogotá.[6] The BBC reported that he was shot three times, including two shots to the head.[6] Two other people were injured, and the suspected gunman was wounded in the foot during an exchange of fire with bodyguards.[7]
Turbay was transported first to the Engativá Medical Center and then to the Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, where a combined neurosurgical and peripheral-vascular operation was performed.[8][9] On 16 June, he underwent emergency surgery due to bleeding in his brain,[10] and on 10 August he again became critical after another cerebral haemorrhage.[11]
Death
[edit]Uribe Turbay died at the Fundación Santa Fe on 11 August 2025, aged 39, from complications of his injuries.[1][3]
Investigation and legal proceedings
[edit]A teenage suspect was arrested at the scene; authorities initially described him as a minor and later said a 15-year-old was charged with attempted homicide and illegal possession of a firearm on 10 June.[12] In video recorded at his arrest, the youth said he acted for money.[13]
On the day of the attack, the Ministry of National Defense offered a reward of up to 3 billion pesos for information leading to those responsible.[14] Investigators said the 9mm Glock-style pistol recovered at the scene had been legally purchased in August 2020 in the U.S. state of Arizona; how it entered Colombia remained under investigation.[15][16]
Prosecutors later charged additional suspects alleged to have provided logistics and reconnaissance. On 5 July 2025, police announced the arrest in Bogotá of a man accused of masterminding the attack, Elder José Arteaga Hernández (“Chipi” or “Costeño”).[17] As of August 2025, authorities had not publicly established a motive.[1]
Reactions
[edit]Domestic
[edit]President of Colombia Gustavo Petro expressed solidarity with Uribe's family on X, mentioning the 1991 murder of his mother.[18]
After the attack, the Colombian government planned to hold a meeting on 9 June between the country's political parties focused on the strengthening of security for candidates in the upcoming presidential and legislative elections. It was later suspended after opposition parties – Uribe Turbay's Democratic Centre, Radical Change, and the Conservative Party – refused to attend and replaced with an electoral monitoring commission.[19]
While Uribe Turbay was recovering from surgery, Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán and former presidents Álvaro Uribe and César Gaviria visited the Santa Fe Foundation clinic.[20] Authorities indicated that they believed that the suspect was a contract killer hired by others.[21]
International
[edit]Chilean President Gabriel Boric, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado condemned the attack.[22] United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on the Colombian government to tone down political rhetoric and bolster security for officials.[23] U.S. Representative María Elvira Salazar urged that those responsible face judicial proceedings.[24] U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno condemned the attack in a statement on X, calling it a "vile attack on democracy" and urging that those responsible face swift punishment.[25]
See also
[edit]- Assassination of Fernando Villavicencio, 2023 in Ecuador
- Attempted assassination of Jair Bolsonaro, 2018 in Brazil
- Attempted assassination of Lee Jae Myung, 2024 in South Korea
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Colombian presidential hopeful Uribe dies two months after shooting". Reuters. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
- ^ "Colombian presidential hopeful dies after being shot at campaign event". The Washington Post. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe dies two months after being shot in a rally". AP News. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
- ^ "Uribe Turbay, el candidato cuyo atentado revive las horas más oscuras de la violencia política en Colombia". France 24. 8 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay "is fighting for his life" after attack". France 24. 7 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Colombia presidential hopeful shot in head at rally". BBC News. 7 June 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
- ^ Jones, Sam (8 June 2025). "Shot Colombian presidential candidate survives emergency surgery". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Fundación Santa Fe revela que caso de senador Miguel Uribe reviste 'máxima gravedad'". La República (in Spanish). 8 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
- ^ "Dr. Fernando Hakim – Director, Departamento de Neurocirugía". Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 June 2025.
- ^ "Colombian senator in 'extremely critical condition' after being shot". BBC News. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ "A Colombian senator shot in June falls back into critical condition after hemorrhaging". AP News. 10 August 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
- ^ "Colombian teen charged with attempted murder of presidential hopeful". AP News. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
- ^ Diego Stacey (10 June 2025). "'I'm sorry, I did it for the money, for my family'". El País (English). Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "El Gobierno ofrece millonaria recompensa por información sobre el atentado a Miguel Uribe". Cablenoticias (in Spanish). 7 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "¿Por qué un patrullero manipuló el arma usada en atentado a Miguel Uribe que fue comprada en EE. UU.?". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 9 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
- ^ "Así le contamos el atentado contra Miguel Uribe Turbay (minuto a minuto)". El País (in Spanish). 10 June 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Alleged mastermind behind shooting of Colombian senator and presidential candidate arrested". AP News. 5 July 2025. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
- ^ Juan Sebastián Lombo Delgado (7 June 2025). "President Gustavo Petro expresses solidarity in a tweet after the attack on Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay". El Tiempo. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Freixes, Josep (9 June 2025). "Colombia Suspends Cross-Party Security Meeting After Attack on Senator Miguel Uribe". Colombia One: News from Colombia and the World. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Freixes, Josep (9 June 2025). "Colombia Probes Attack on Presidential Candidate Miguel Uribe". Colombia One. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
- ^ "Teen pleads 'not guilty' to shooting Colombian presidential candidate". France 24. 10 June 2025. Archived from the original on 10 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ^ Licsa Gómez (8 June 2025). "World presidents and politicians reacted to the attack on presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay". Infobae. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ EFE Agency (8 June 2025). "Marco Rubio condemns attack on Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay". SWI swissinfo. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Frank Saavedra (30 May 2025). "Republican Senator María Elvira Salazar asked to revoke Colonel Carlos Feria's diplomatic credentials in the U.S. so he faces Colombian justice: "The United States must not be complicit"". Infobae. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Hagstrom, Anders (8 June 2025). "Rubio condemns assassination attempt on Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe". Fox News. Retrieved 9 June 2025.