Columbia, 8th June. : Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, a 2026 presidential candidate, was shot on Saturday in Bogota, according to official sources and his political party. Local media reported that Uribe is in critical condition at a hospital in the capital.

The 39-year-old lawmaker is a member of the opposition Democratic Centre party, a conservative political group founded by former President Alvaro Uribe. Despite sharing the same surname, the two are not related.

According to a statement from the party, the senator was holding a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighborhood when “armed subjects shot him in the back.” The party condemned the attack, calling it serious, but did not share further details about his medical condition.

Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed that a suspect had been taken into custody and that authorities were investigating the possibility of additional individuals being involved. Sanchez also stated that he had visited the hospital where Uribe is being treated.

The Colombian presidency issued a statement “categorically and forcefully” rejecting the violent act and demanded a full investigation into the incident.

Uribe hails from a prominent Colombian family with historic ties to the Liberal Party. His father was a businessman and labor leader. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by a group under the control of notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar and was killed during a rescue mission.

Uribe is the grandson of former President Julio César Turbay and studied at both Colombia’s Universidad de los Andes and Harvard’s Kennedy School. He received the highest number of votes of any Senate candidate in the 2022 elections.

Former President Alvaro Uribe, who serves as Miguel Uribe’s political mentor, described him as a “hope for the motherland” and said he is praying for his recovery.