The attack on presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay is a challenge to Colombian democracy by the violent.

The specter of political violence, which threatened democratic stability in the 1980s and 1990s, is once again haunting the country. At around 5:40 p.m. this Saturday, Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, a presidential candidate for the Uribe party and one of the harshest critics of President Gustavo Petro's administration, was shot by at least two hitmen who shot him at point-blank range in the chest and head . Authorities, who are offering a 3 billion peso reward for help in capturing those responsible for the attack, confirmed last night that they are trying to track down two more people.

The terrorist attack, the most serious attack against a presidential candidate in decades , surprised Uribe Turbay as he was leading a political event in a park in the Modelia area of ​​western Bogotá. The National Government, all political forces, the 2026 presidential candidates, and various sectors joined together to condemn the serious attack, which comes as political polarization continues to increase in the country , now due to the referendum and the Executive's intention to call it by decree despite the Senate's rejection.

In his last national address, at the Asobancaria forum in Cartagena this week, Uribe Turbay focused his remarks on criticizing President Petro's initiative. Back in Bogotá, he resumed his campaigning activities, holding dozens of meetings with communities.

Yesterday, after a brief speech, the candidate was harshly heckled by a woman, and a long-haired man who looked like a homeless man took advantage of the moment to approach Uribe and shoot him at point-blank range . According to witnesses, there was at least one other hitman on the scene.

At that moment, the Democratic Center senator had just spoken about the country's insecurity. "When I was Secretary of Government in Bogotá, a few years ago, I thought that banning gun ownership would help. But now, who are the ones who have guns? The bandits. Conclusion: we're going to be very strict with safe-conduct passes, but I do believe that any good Colombian who wants to carry a gun could do so," he said before several dozen people gathered in the park at 82nd Street and 22nd Street, in the town of Fontibón. He also spoke about public policy for people with disabilities and mental health issues. Still holding the microphone, he was—according to preliminary information—shot twice.

Hernán Quiñónez, a supporter of the candidate and an attendee at the event, told EL TIEMPO that there were about 300 people present when "a woman started insulting Uribe with profanity. Two minutes later, while Miguel Uribe was speaking to her and asking her to calm down because 'the voice would be heard on August 7, 2026,' six or seven shots rang out."

According to his version, the attacker arrived from behind the park and attempted to escape down the same road until he was shot by the senator's escort. He was carrying a 9mm Glock pistol and is 14 years old. Videos in the possession of authorities show the hitman, wearing a dark T-shirt, approaching Uribe from behind without much difficulty. He then shot him in the head from below, on the left side. Previous images show him talking to a woman; it is being investigated whether she was the same woman who started the altercation just seconds before the shots were fired.

The attacker's approach and the political leader's relatively unprotected status—he apparently didn't have a bulletproof vest, as he was wearing only a blue shirt—are key elements in the investigation led by prosecutor Daicy Jaramillo, head of territorial security for the prosecuting agency. The conditions of police support for the political event are also being investigated. Investigators were sweeping security cameras throughout southwestern Bogotá last night, searching for clues about the criminal plot.

No authority ventured last night with hypotheses about the intellectual authorship of the crime , whose modus operandi - the use of minors as hitmen, the relative ease with which they managed to get close to their victim - revived for Colombians scenes such as those experienced during the assassination of Luis Carlos Galán in August 1989, and that of Carlos Pizarro a year later, or that of Luis Donaldo Colosio in Mexico in 1994. Last night, Senator Uribe Turbay was fighting for his life at the Santa Fe Clinic , where he was taken after doctors at the Modelia medical center managed to stabilize him.

Multiple voices last night demanded that President Petro's government guarantee security for all campaigns leading up to the 2026 election and lower the level of political confrontation. Former presidents, high court officials, and spokespersons from all sectors joined these calls. The U.S. government, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio , said: “Having witnessed firsthand Colombia's progress in recent decades to consolidate security and democracy, we cannot afford to return to the dark times of political violence. President Petro must moderate his inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials .”

Given the seriousness of the situation, Petro canceled his planned trip to France and in a tweet expressed his solidarity with Uribe Turbay's family. "I don't know how to mitigate their pain," he wrote. A televised address was expected last night. Analyst Gabriel Cifuentes, a columnist for EL TIEMPO, lamented the attack and asserted that it is "an example of the risk of having a polarized and inflamed country." "Violence is also verbal," he noted. Similarly, political scientist Jairo Libreros described the situation as "a historic setback."

Last night, the Santa Fe Clinic reported that the senator "was admitted in critical condition" and underwent "a neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure."

Political and justice writing