Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay Dies Following June Attack

Colombian senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay, who had been in critical condition since June 7 after being the target of an attack in Bogotá, died early Monday morning, according to local media reports.

The day before his death, Turbay underwent emergency surgery at the Santa Fe Clinic, where he had been hospitalized, after suffering a setback in his recovery due to a hemorrhage in his nervous system.

His wife, Claudia Tarazona, confirmed the news through an emotional message on social media. "I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you [...] Rest in peace, love of my life," she wrote.

Former Colombian Vice Chancellor Jorge Rojas Rodríguez expressed his condolences and urged authorities to identify those responsible for the attack. "The attack became an assassination [...] the authorities have the obligation to clarify this crime and bring both the intellectual and material perpetrators to justice," he wrote on X.

Recently convicted former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez also conveyed his condolences on social media. "Evil destroys everything, they killed hope. May Miguel’s struggle be a light that illuminates the right path for Colombia."

Senator Wilson Arias, a member of President Gustavo Petro’s Pacto Histórico coalition, offered his solidarity to Turbay’s family and friends, condemning "violence and firearms in the exercise of politics in Colombia."

The Bogotá Mayor’s Office expressed its deep regret over the senator’s death. Turbay had sustained three gunshot wounds to the head during a campaign event in a neighborhood of the capital.

Presidential candidate Sergio Fajardo denounced the killing and said Turbay was "a good man" who dedicated his life to the country. "It pains us that our Colombia is trapped in this violence that never rests, destroys hope, and prevents us from moving forward," his message on X read.

In connection with the investigation into the attack, five individuals have been arrested: a 15-year-old alleged hitman accused of firing the weapon; Carlos Eduardo Mora González, identified as the driver of the getaway vehicle; Katerine Martínez, alias “Gabriela,” accused of providing the firearm used in the attack; William Fernando Cruz, who was seen with one of the suspects; and Elder José Arteaga Hernández, alias “Costeño,” described as the alleged "principal coordinator" of the assault.