Senator Miguel Uribe was shot twice in the head during a campaign rally in Bogota where he was meeting his supporters.
Colombian presidential candidate, Senator Miguel Uribe, who was shot twice in the head during a campaign rally in Bogota and rushed to the hospital, was said to be in a “grave condition” and “fighting for his life”.
The 39-year-old Uribe underwent successful initial surgery to treat the injuries from Saturday’s assassination attempt. However, doctors warned that his condition was still serious,
Medics at Bogota’s Santa Fe Clinic said, Uribe remains in “the most grave condition and the prognosis is reserved”.
The Senator’s shooting left the entire nation in shock, for Colombia believed that its history of bloody political and narcotics violence was largely in the past.
Meanwhile, several hundred of Colombians took to the streets with candles to pray for the recovery of Uribe. Carolina Gomez, a 41-year-old businesswoman, told AFP, “Our hearts are broken, Colombia hurts.”
The crowd gathered at several places across the nation chanted “strength to you Miguel” and “the people are with you”.
Uribe’s wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, thanked Colombians for their support and requested them to collectively pray for his survival. “He is fighting hard for his life,” she said.
Miguel Uribe was shot in the El Golfito Park in the Modelia neighbourhood of Bogota’s Fontibon district during a public gathering.
Uriba, a right-wing opposition leader and a presidential candidate from the Democratic Center, was meeting supporters when a man allegedly approached from behind and shot him in the back of the head.
Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán confirmed that Uribe’s shooter had been captured. The motive for shooting the presidential candidate, however, is still unknown.
Investigation underway
Defense minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday that a team of about 100 investigators are now working to determine the motive behind the attack.
Earlier, Sanchez had offered an approximately US$725,000 reward for information about who was behind the attack.
The suspect, believed to be a 15-year-old boy, was injured during the scuffle with the forces and was receiving treatment, said police director Carlos Fernando Triana.
Colombia’s leftist President Gustavo Petro condemned the violence and said that it was “an attack not only against his person, but also against democracy, freedom of thought, and the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also condemned the attacked and termed it a “direct threat to democracy”.
However, Rubio also blamed Petro and claimed that the attack was “the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government”.
“President Pedro needs to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials,” Rubio added.
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