Who is Miguel Uribe? Son of journalist and rising conservative voice in Colombia shot in assassination attempt

Who is Miguel Uribe?

Colombian opposition senator Miguel Uribe was shot during a campaign event in Bogotá, according to official government and party sources. The suspect has been arrested.

Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez meanwhile said on X that authorities were offering a reward of around $700,000 for information leading to the capture of those behind the attack.

The attack took place around 5 p.m. local time while Uribe Turbay, the opposition Centro Democrático party’s candidate, was speaking to supporters from a stage in Bogotá’s Modelia neighborhood, according local media reports.

Several shots were fired, hitting him in the back and reportedly in the head. He collapsed on the spot and was taken to a nearby clinic in critical condition, according to Semana, a Colombian media outlet.

Who is Miguel Uribe?  

Uribe Turbay, 39 years old, is a prominent figure in the opposition right-wing Democratic Center party, announced his presidential candidacy in October 2024. A vocal critic of President Gustavo Petro’s leftist administration, Uribe has positioned himself as a leading conservative figure ahead of the 2026 elections.

He comes from a well-known political family. His grandfather, Julio César Turbay, served as Colombia’s president from 1978 to 1982. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was tragically killed in 1991 during a failed rescue operation after being kidnapped by Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel according to Reuters.

Educated at Universidad de los Andes and Harvard University’s Kennedy School, Uribe Turbay has built a reputation as a strong opponent of progressive reforms and has emerged as a central figure in Colombia’s conservative movement.

According to CBS News, this incident marks one of the most serious assassination attempts on a high-profile political figure in Colombia since the violent era of the early 1990s, underscoring the ongoing security challenges in the country despite decades of political and peace-building efforts.

(With agency inputs)