His conservative Democratic Centre party released a statement calling it "an unacceptable act of violence"

The attack took place in a park in the Fontibon neighbourhood when armed assailants shot him from behind, said the right-wing Democratic Centre, which was the party of former President Alvaro Uribe. The men are not related

Images circulating on social media showed Uribe Turbay, 39, covered in blood being held by several people. A medical report from the Santa Fe Foundation hospital said the senator was admitted in critical condition and is undergoing a "neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure"

"Miguel is fighting for his life," his wife, María Claudia Tarazona, wrote on the senator's X account, urging Colombians to pray for him

The Attorney General's Office, which is investigating the shooting, said the senator received two gunshot wounds in the attack, which wounded two others. The statement from the office said a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene with a firearm

Colombia's government said it was offering a reward for the capture of all those responsible

"Respect life, that's the red line," President Gustavo Petro said in a message posted on his X account. Shortly after making the post, Petro cancelled a planned trip to France "due to the seriousness of the events," according to a presidential statement

Late Saturday night, after leading an extraordinary Security Council session, Colombia's first leftist president promised "complete transparency" in the investigation and to find the intellectual authors of the attack. He also promised an investigation into any failures by the senator's bodyguards

Uribe Turbay is the son of a journalist who was kidnapped and killed in 1991 during one of the country's most violent periods. Colombia will hold a presidential election on May 31, 2026, marking the end of Petro's term