Colombian presidential hopeful Uribe in critical condition after assassination attempt

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Miguel Uribe, a conservative Colombian presidential hopeful, was in critical condition on Monday after being shot in the head from close range during a rally over the weekend.

In a statement, doctors said the 39-year-old senator had “barely” responded to medical interventions that included brain surgery following the assassination attempt that has had a chilling effect on the South American nation.

Uribe was shot on Saturday as he addressed a small crowd of people who had gathered in a park in Bogota’s Modelia neighborhood.

On Sunday hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital where Uribe is being treated to pray for his recovery. Some carried rosaries in their hands, while others chanted slogans against President Gustavo Petro.

“This is terrible,” said Walter Jimenez, a lawyer who showed up outside the hospital with a sign calling for Petro's removal. “It feels like we are going back to the 1990’s,” he said, referring to a decade during which drug cartels and rebel groups murdered judges, presidential candidates and journalists with impunity.

Petro has condemned the attack and urged his opponents to not use it for political ends. But some Colombians have also asked the president to tone down his rhetoric against opposition leaders.

The assassination attempt stunned the nation, with many politicians describing it as the latest sign of how security has deteriorated in Colombia, where the government is struggling to control violence in rural and urban areas, despite a 2016 peace deal with the nation’s largest rebel group.

The attack on Uribe comes amid growing animosity between Petro and the Senate over blocked reforms to the nation’s labor laws.

Petro has organized protests in favor of the reforms, where he has delivered fiery speeches referring to opposition leaders as “oligarchs” and “enemies of the people."

“There is no way to argue that the president … who describes his opponents as enemies of the people, paramilitaries and assassins has no responsibility in this,” Andres Mejia, a prominent political analyst, wrote on X.

On Monday, Colombia's Senate said it will suspend sessions for an undetermined number of days to show its solidarity with Uribe. The Senate was expected to vote this week on labor legislation that Colombia's president wants to enact through a referendum.

Also on Monday, in a joint statement nine opposition parties said they will turn to “international entities" that can provide them with “conditions of equality that have been denied” to them by Colombia's government. The parties also called on the Inspector General's office to create a commission that will guarantee transparency and security in elections.

The Attorney General’s office said a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene of the attack against Uribe. Videos captured on social media show a suspect shooting at Uribe from close range.

The suspect was injured in the leg and was recovering at another clinic, authorities said. Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez added that over 100 officers are investigating the attack.

On Monday, Colombia’s Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo said that minors in Colombia face sentences of up to eight years in detention for committing murders.

Camargo acknowledged that lenient sentences have encouraged armed groups to recruit minors to commit crimes. However, she said that Colombian law also considers that minors who are recruited by armed groups are victims, and is trying to protect them.

“As a society we need to reflect on why a minor is getting caught up in a network of assassins, and what we can do to stop this from happening in the future,” she said.

Camargo said officials had not identified any death threats against Uribe prior to Saturday's assassination attempt. But on Monday, Uribe's lawyer said he has sued the director of the National Protection Unit, a government agency that assigns security guards and bullet proof vehicles to politicians and human rights leaders.

Uribe launched his presidential campaign in October. His lawyer, Victor Mosquera, said the National Protection Unit ignored multiple requests by Uribe to have his security detail expanded as he campaigned.

“His security detail had to be improved,” Mosquera said in a press conference. “We have to investigate whether the attack (on Uribe) was a consequence of negligence.”

In a message on X on Monday, Petro wrote that Uribe's security detail was “strangely" reduced from seven to three bodyguards on the day of the assassination attempt, and said he asked police to investigate.

Petro said there are still many theories about the motive for the attack.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Images of Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, along with candles and flowers, lay at the site where he was shot during a political rally in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/John Vizcaino)

Lawmakers gather outside Congress to show support for Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay while he is in critical condition after being shot at a political rally in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

A picture of Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay and Colombian flag cover his seat at Congress while he is in critical condition after being shot at a political rally in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

Investigators inspect the scene where Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot during a campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jhon Wilson Vizcaino)

People march to the clinic where Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after he was shot, in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

A billboard that reads in Spanish, "Miguel Uribe Turbay, Colombia prays for your life" is seen in Cali, Colombia, Sunday, June 8, 2025, after the senator was shot at a political rally. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

Lawyer Victor Mosquera, representative of Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, talks outside the clinic where the Colombian Senator is being treated after he was shot at a political rally in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

Images of Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, along with candles and flowers, lay at the site where he was shot during a political rally in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/John Vizcaino)

People hold candles as they gather outside the clinic where Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after he was shot at a political rally, in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

Relatives are seen praying inside the clinic where Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after he was shot at a political rally, in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Nuns arrive to the clinic where Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after he was shot at a political rally in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

Heath workers arrive to the clinic where Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after he was shot at a political rally in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

People hug each other outside the clinic where Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after he was shot at a political rally, in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Four years after showing up late for the Beijing Olympics and missing one of his races because of a case of COVID-19, U.S. long track speedskater Casey Dawson is enjoying what he jokingly terms his “villain arc,” peaking at the right time ahead of the Milan Cortina Games.

Dawson secured a spot for next month in the men's 5,000 meters — an event he was forced to skip in 2022 while sick — by winning at that distance at the U.S. Olympic trials in 6 minutes, 12.857 seconds on Friday night.

“I actually got COVID two or three weeks before going to the competition. Tested positive for 50 straight tests,” said Dawson, a 25-year-old from Park City, Utah. “Couldn’t go over to the Games. I missed the opening ceremonies. Missed the 5,000 meters. Showed up 12 hours before my 1,500 meters. So I kind of got a little screwed over from that point of view. But this time around, I’m just looking forward to getting there smoothly and just getting a little bit of redemption.”

And then, with a chuckle, Dawson added: “It’s kind of fun to have, like, my villain arc, I would call it. Just coming back and having some fun.”

Ethan Cepuran was about 6 1/2 seconds back Friday, finishing next in 6:19.335.

The last American man to medal in the 5,000 at an Olympics was Chad Hedrick at the 2006 Turin Games.

Dawson already had secured the lone U.S. place for Milan in the men’s 10,000 — a race not being contested at these trials — and also will be part of the trio for men’s team pursuit at the Olympics.

Dawson, Cepuran and Emery Lehman took the bronze in that event in Beijing four years ago, set the world record in 2024 and claimed gold in the team pursuit at the world championships in March.

In the other race Friday, the women's 3,000, Greta Myers won in 4:06.799. As of now, the United States does not have a berth in Milan for that distance, but one of its athletes could end up in the field if another country relinquishes an opening.

“It's hard to wait,” said Myers, a 21-year-old from Lino Lakes, Minnesota. “But I'm very hopeful. I think it's at least a 50-50 chance that it'll happen.”

The U.S. Olympic roster for long track won't become official until the four-day trials at the Pettit National Ice Center wrap up on Monday. One element that could come into play is that the Americans are allowed to bring a maximum of eight men and six women to these Winter Games.

The biggest star of the team — and the sport — is scheduled to make his trials debut Saturday in the men's 1,000 meters: Jordan Stolz. The 21-year-old from Kewaskum, a town about 40 miles north of Milwaukee, is not just competing at home this week; he's racing at the same rink where he first began taking lessons as a kid.

He made his Olympic debut at age 17 in Beijing four years ago, finishing 13th in the 500 and 14th in the 1,000.

At both the 2023 and 2024 world championships, Stolz earned titles in each of the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters.

He's already pre-qualified for the Olympics based on performances at those three distances. All he really needs to do to lock down berths on the squad for the Feb. 6-22 Milan Cortina Games is show up at the starting line this week.

The 500 and 1,500 are slated for Sunday, and the mass start is Monday.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Casey Dawson, of Park City, Utah, right, and Ethan Cepuran, of Glen Ellyn, lllinois, left, compete in the men's 5,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speed skating at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Howard Fendrich)

The Pettit National Ice Center is seen in Milwaukee on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, the first day of the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speedskating. (AP Photo/Howard Fendrich)