Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Photo: Daniel Gonzalez/Anadolu/file photo.
President Gustavo Petro revealed Monday that the security detail for Senator Miguel Ángel Uribe Turbay—victim of an attack last Saturday—was “strangely” reduced on the day of the assault, going from seven to three bodyguards.
“I requested the most thorough investigation possible,” Petro said on social media, suggesting that the incident might be linked to a strategy to undermine his administration. Senator Uribe Turbay, a presidential pre-candidate for the opposition Democratic Center party (right-wing), suffered two gunshot wounds during a public event in Bogotá. The attacker, a 15-year-old teenager, was captured at the scene, but the motives remain unclear, as far-right groups attempt to blame the government for the attack.
The senator’s family filed a criminal complaint Monday against the National Protection Unit (UNP), under the Interior Ministry, for alleged negligence regarding requests to reinforce his security.
“During 2025, we made more than 23 requests for increased protection. The most recent was submitted on June 5 this year,” family lawyer Víctor Mosquera told reporters outside Fundación Santa Fe clinic, where Uribe Turbay remains in critical condition after being shot.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed three lines of investigation: whether the attack specifically targeted Uribe Turbay for his political profile, whether it aimed to harm his party (founded by former president Álvaro Uribe), or if it was part of a plan to “destabilize Petro’s government.”
The president went further, linking the incident to “dark, neo-Nazi and anti-republican” sectors, including foreign elements that he claims have put a “price” on his own head. “They even asked Mossad to conduct an extraction operation,” he said, referring to the Israeli intelligence service.
Petro criticized those using the attack for electoral purposes, including former president César Gaviria (1994-1998) of the Liberal Party, who reproached the government for continuing to push a popular referendum blocked by Congress.
Gaviria argued that the president’s stubbornness creates more confrontation, while Petro countered that his government suffers most from the attack, suggesting it could be the work of “a group opposed to both the government and the referendum.”
“Why are they threatening children of government officials and myself?” he asked. Tensions escalated after the labor reform failed in the Senate, a setback that increased opposition parties’ confrontation with Petro.
Uribe Turbay underwent emergency surgery after being airlifted to Santa Fe Foundation Hospital in Bogotá, where he remains in “extremely serious” condition. Doctors performed procedures to address gunshot wounds to his head and left thigh before stabilizing him in intensive care. His family urged against speculation, but scrutiny of his reduced security detail raises questions about intelligence failures or possible conspiracy. Police have 188 agents investigating, though contradictions persist: while media report that the attacker’s phone contained key data, authorities deny this finding.
Disturbing footage circulating online shows the moment Uribe was shot mid-speech, causing panic among attendees. The video captures the senator collapsing as crowd members scramble for safety.
The teenage suspect, shot in the leg during capture, was found with a 9 mm Glock-style handgun, officials confirmed. Police are offering a three-billion-peso (US $730,000) reward for information about potential masterminds.
Uribe’s Centro Democrático party referred to the attack as “an assault on Colombian democracy.” President Gustavo Petro’s government condemned it as “violence against democracy itself.” Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez denounced the “vile attack.”
(Telesur) Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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