Bogotá, Colombia — Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, a Colombian right-wing presidential hopeful, was shot at a campaign rally in Bogotá today.
A video circulating online captures the moment Uribe was attacked from behind, with local media reporting he was shot in the head. An image on social media appears to show an unconscious Uribe receiving first aid on a head wound. His present condition is unknown.
Authorities say they have captured the suspected perpetrator of the shooting, which comes amid mounting political polarization in the country.
The government condemned the assassination attempt in a statement on Saturday evening.
“The National Government categorically and overwhelmingly condemns the assassination attempt of which Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was a victim in the last hours,” wrote the President’s office.
In a rare display of unity, politicians from across the divide expressed solidarity with Uribe and his family, condemning political violence in all its forms.
Other presidential hopefuls, including conservative frontrunner Vicky Dávila and former Mayor of Bogotá Claudia López, called for greater security for candidates in the upcoming elections.
The shooting has been compared to the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán in 1989 and raises fears of a return to an era of politically-motivated violence.
Uribe’s grandfather was former President Julio César Turbay and his mother Diana Turbay, who was killed in 1991 during a rescue operation after being kidnapped by Pablo Escobar.
Uribe was first transported to the Clínica Colombia but has since been moved to the Fundación Santa Fe, a private hospital in the North of the city.
