Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, 39,
Shot During Speech in Downtown Bogota Park
A conservative opposition presidential candidate who declared his intention to run in Colombia's presidential election next year was shot and hospitalized on June 7 (local time) during a campaign event.
According to foreign media reports, Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, 39, was shot while delivering a speech in a park in downtown Bogota, the capital, that afternoon.
He was transported to a nearby hospital and is currently in critical condition, according to local media reports.
It has been reported that Senator Uribe Turbay was hit by three bullets: two to the head and one to the knee.
The center-right Democratic Center Party, the conservative opposition party to which Uribe Turbay belongs, stated in a press release that an armed group shot him from behind.
The office of Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued a statement expressing "absolute and resolute opposition" to the act of violence and called for a thorough investigation into the incident.
Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said that one suspect had been arrested in connection with the shooting, and that authorities are continuing their investigation under the belief that there may be additional accomplices.
Senator Uribe Turbay is a member of the center-right Democratic Center Party led by former President Alvaro Uribe and has announced his candidacy for Colombia's presidential election scheduled for next year. Although his surname is similar to that of former President Uribe, they are not related by blood.
He has been an outspoken critic of the left-wing ruling party led by President Petro.
His mother, Diana Turbay, is well known as a journalist who was kidnapped and killed by the notorious drug cartel led by "drug kingpin" Pablo Escobar in Colombia during the 1990s.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement saying, "The United States condemns this assassination attempt in the strongest possible terms."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
