Right-wing Colombian presidential candidate shot at rally, Marco Rubio blames Colombian government’s ‘violent leftist rhetoric’

OAN Staff Blake Wolf
3:57 PM – Sunday, June 8, 2025

Right wing Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay is recovering after being shot in the head twice and once in the knee.

39-year-old Uribe was ambushed by gunmen in the capital city of Bogota, Columbia on Saturday while speaking to supporters.

Uribe was airlifted to a local hospital in critical condition, although he has since “overcame the first surgical procedure,” according to Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan.

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“He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his life,” Uribe’s wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona stated.

Graphic footage of the incident has begun to circulate on social media showing supporters surrounding Uribe covered in his blood as they attempt to stop the bleeding.

The attorney general’s official stated that a 15-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene.

Local media reported that the suspect was shot in the leg as law enforcement pursued, confiscating a “9mm Glock-type firearm” in the process.

Meanwhile U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the violence “in the strongest possible terms,” while calling out the “violent leftist rhetoric” of the current Colombian government.

Rubio characterized the shooting as a “direct threat to democracy and the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government. Having seen firsthand Colombia’s progress over the past few decades to consolidate security and democracy, it can’t afford to go back to dark days of political violence. President Petro needs to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials.”

Meanwhile, Colombia’s left-wing President, Gustavo Petro, reposted a response to Rubio’s initial post which read: “The United States sowing hatred in the midst of a national tragedy.”