Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe in 'extremely critical' condition after recent surgery
The clinic treating him announced that he had to undergo surgery again late Monday due to “acute” bleeding in his brain.
The senator and right-wing candidate, Miguel Uribe Turbay
Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe, who was shot last week at a public event, underwent emergency surgery on Monday for a brain bleed and remains in extremely critical condition.
The 39-year-old opposition senator was admitted to a medical center on June 7 with three gunshot wounds—two to the head and one to the leg. After two surgeries, he was reported to be in serious condition with a guarded prognosis.
The clinic caring for him reported that he had to undergo surgery again late Monday due to “acute” brain bleeding. Doctors said that after the procedure, his condition remains “extremely critical,” marked by persistent brain swelling and hard-to-control intracerebral bleeding.
This marks a sharp decline in Uribe’s health after several days of stability. Just Wednesday, he had shown signs of improvement.
A 15-year-old teen is in custody, accused of being the main perpetrator of the attack, along with two other suspected accomplices. All three have been charged by the prosecutor’s office with attempted homicide and illegal possession of weapons. None have pleaded guilty to the charges.
For now, the masterminds behind the attack remain unknown.
The "most difficult battle," according to his wife
Uribe’s wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, told reporters outside the Santa Fe Foundation in Bogotá, where the senator is being treated, that this is his “most difficult battle” since the attack.
On Sunday, thousands marched in Bogotá and other cities across the country to protest against violence.
This assassination attempt harks back to the darkest days of drug trafficking in the 1980s and 1990s—during the reign of drug lord Pablo Escobar—when four presidential candidates were assassinated.
In addition to the alleged hitman, a man who was driving the car from which the gun was handed over and a woman who was with him have also been arrested. A fourth suspect remains at large. According to local media citing interrogations, this person is key to the investigation because he knows the identity of the mastermind.
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Behind the attack is a "structured organization"
“It’s not just any criminal group,” but a “criminal organization” with “economic power,” he said, withholding further details to avoid compromising the investigation.
Uribe is a vocal critic of drug sales and consumption, and some of his proposals focus on combating illegal drug dealers in urban areas.
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