BOGOTÁ, June  8, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A prominent Colombian right-wing
presidential candidate who was shot during a campaign event in Bogota has
successfully undergone initial surgery, the city's mayor said Sunday.

Thirty-nine-year-old Senator Miguel Uribe was speaking to supporters in the
capital when a gunman shot him twice in the head and once in the knee before
being detained.

A security guard managed to detain the suspected attacker, a minor who is
believed to be 15 years old.

Uribe was airlifted to hospital in "critical condition" and underwent a
"neurosurgical" and "peripheral vascular procedure," the Santa Fe Clinic in
Bogota confirmed.

He "overcame the first surgical procedure," Bogota mayor Carlos Fernando
Galan told media, adding that he had entered "the critical hours" of recovery.
His wife, in an audio recording shared with media, said "he came out well
from the surgery."

"He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his
life," she is heard saying.

Images from the scene of the shooting showed Uribe slumped against the hood
of a white car, smeared with blood, as a group of men tried to hold him and
stop the bleeding.

The suspect was injured in the affray and was receiving treatment, said
police director Carlos Fernando Triana.

Two others -- a man and a woman -- were also wounded, and a Glock-style
firearm was seized.

"Our hearts are broken, Colombia hurts," Carolina Gomez, a 41-year-old
businesswoman, told AFP as she prayed with candles for Uribe's health.

- 'Day of pain' -

The motive for the attack is not yet publicly known. Colombia's defense
minister Pedro Sanchez vowed to use law enforcement's full capabilities and
offered a roughly US$725,000 reward for information about who was behind the
shooting.

In a video address to the nation posted on social media, President Gustavo
Petro also promised investigations to find the perpetrators of the "day of
pain".

"What matters most today is that all Colombians focus with the energy of
our hearts, with our will to live ... on ensuring that Dr Miguel Uribe stays
alive."

In an earlier statement, Petro condemned the violence as "an attack not
only against his person, but also against democracy, freedom of thought, and
the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia."

The shooting was similarly condemned across the political spectrum and from
overseas, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it "a direct threat to
democracy."

But Rubio also pointed blame at Petro, claiming the attack was the "result
of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian
government."

"President Petro needs to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect
Colombian officials," the top US diplomat said.

Uribe, a strong critic of Petro, is a member of the Democratic Center
party, which announced last October his intention to run in the 2026
presidential election.

Authorities said there was no specific threat made against the politician
before the incident. Like many public figures in Colombia, Uribe had close
personal protection.

The country is home to several armed guerrilla groups, powerful cartels and
has a long history of political violence.

- Shot 'from behind' -

Uribe is the son of Diana Turbay, a famed Colombian journalist who was
killed after being kidnapped by Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel.

One of his grandfathers was president Julio Cesar Turbay, who led the
country from 1978 to 1982.

Supporters gathered outside the Bogota hospital, lighting candles and
clutching crucifixes as they prayed for his recovery.

Uribe's party said in a statement Saturday that an "armed individual" had
shot the senator from behind.

The party leader, former president Alvaro Uribe, described the shooting as
an attack against "a hope for the country."

Miguel Uribe -- who is not related to Alvaro -- has been a senator since
2022. He previously served as Bogota's government secretary and city councilor.

He also ran for city mayor in 2019, but lost that election.