WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has blamed Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s leftist rhetoric for an attempted assassination that left a prominent conservative senator critically wounded in Bogotá.
Rubio, in a strongly worded statement released Saturday night, condemned the shooting of Senator Miguel Uribe as “a direct threat to democracy,” and laid partial responsibility at the feet of Colombia’s left-wing leadership.
“This is the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government,” Rubio posted on X. “President Petro needs to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials.”
The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe. This is 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
Uribe, 39, a rising figure in the opposition Democratic Center party and a possible candidate in Colombia’s 2026 presidential election, was shot during a campaign event in the capital’s Fontibón district.
He remains in critical condition at Santa Fe Foundation Hospital, where doctors say he is undergoing complex neurosurgical and vascular procedures.
Videos circulated online showed Uribe bleeding from the head as aides and bystanders rushed to help.
Authorities say he was shot twice and two others were wounded in the attack.
A 15-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene with a firearm, according to Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office, which has opened a criminal investigation.
The government has offered a reward of nearly $730,000 (3 billion pesos) for information leading to those behind the attack.
President Petro, while condemning the violence and expressing solidarity with Uribe’s family, urged caution during a televised address.
“For now there is nothing more than hypotheses,” he said, promising a full investigation into not only the perpetrators but also security lapses that may have enabled the shooting.
However, Rubio’s remarks mark a rare and unusually direct rebuke of a sitting Latin American president by a top U.S. diplomat.
His statement appears to reflect growing tensions between the conservative leadership in Washington and Petro’s administration, which has faced criticism over rising political polarization and worsening security conditions in parts of Colombia.
Uribe’s party, founded by former President Álvaro Uribe (no relation), has described the attack as “an unacceptable act of violence.”
The elder Uribe said his colleague represented “the hope of the country” and decried what he called the erosion of public safety.
The attempted assassination has triggered a wave of condemnation across Latin America.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric stated that “there is no room or justification for violence in a democracy,” while Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa expressed solidarity with Uribe’s family.
Senator Uribe, a lawyer and former Bogotá councilman, comes from a politically prominent family.
His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in a 1991 military raid during a kidnapping ordeal involving drug lord Pablo Escobar’s forces.
Colombia has long grappled with political violence, a legacy of decades of civil conflict between leftist insurgents, right-wing paramilitaries, drug cartels, and the state.
While the country has made significant strides toward peace in recent years, the attack on Uribe raises fresh concerns about a possible resurgence of politically motivated violence ahead of next year’s elections.
