1 day Ago
Outside the hospital, his wife, María Claudia Tarazona, spoke to the media and said the next few hours were critical for his recovery. “Miguel has never fought for his life as he continues doing now,” she said, urging Colombians to rally around him with prayers and love. The attack has sent shock waves across the country, leading to silent protests that have drawn tens of thousands of people across the country.
The Attack and the Investigation
The 39-year-old right-wing senator, who was seeking his party’s nomination in the 2026 presidential elections, was shot three times at a public event in Bogota on June 7. The killing took place in broad daylight, as he was speaking in a middle-class neighborhood.
A 15-year-old suspect was arrested soon after the shooting, as he was trying to run away. He has been charged by the authorities with attempted murder, to which he pleaded not guilty. Two other people are also detained: a man accused of providing the gun and a woman believed to have provided logistical support. The police are still investigating what led to the attack and whether someone may have hired others to carry it out.
Echoes of History, and Family Ties to Violence
The assassination attempt has surfaced painful memories of Colombia’s violent political history from the 1980s and 1990s, when several presidential candidates and public figures were also subject to attacks and were killed.
Uribe’s mother, Diana Turbay, a well-known journalist, was kidnapped by Los Extraditables in 1990, a group composed of top drug-dealing figures. She was shot and killed in an attempt to rescue her, five months after she was kidnapped. Uribe has frequently cited her as his inspiration for getting involved in politics and “working for our country.”
Los Extraditables, a group that resisted being extradited to the United States, committed numerous kidnappings and attacks during that time in an effort to pressure the government to repeal its extradition treaty.
