Senator Miguel Uribe undergoes surgery after shooting attack

Columbia

Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, a potential candidate in next year’s presidential election, has successfully undergone an initial surgery after being shot and wounded in the capital, Bogota, according to its mayor. The 39-year-old overcame the first surgical intervention and has entered the critical hours of recovery, Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan told journalists on Sunday.

Uribe was shot on Saturday during a campaign event as part of his run for the presidency in 2026. After being flown to hospital, his wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, said on X that he was fighting for his life. Uribe is a member of the opposition conservative Democratic Centre party, founded by former President Alvaro Uribe. The two men are not related. The party released a statement calling the shooting an unacceptable act of violence. It said the senator was appearing at a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighbourhood in Bogota when armed subjects shot him from behind.

It described the attack as serious but did not disclose further details on Uribe’s condition. A medical report from the Santa Fe Foundation hospital said the senator was admitted in critical condition and was due to undergo a neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure. Videos on social media showed a man identified as Uribe being tended to after the shooting. He appeared to be bleeding from his head.