Shooting of Senator Recalls Colombia's Darkest Days

The attempted assassination of a Colombian presidential hopeful has reignited fears of a return to a bloody past when organized crime and rebel groups murdered candidates, journalists, and judges with impunity.

- Harriet Barber

The shooting of Miguel Uribe Turbay was one of the most serious attacks against a high-ranking politician in Colombia this century and comes as a deteriorating security crisis grips the Andean nation.

"We're going back to the worst moments of violence that our country has known," said Andrés Barrios, a councillor and close friend of Uribe's, who was beside him when he was shot. "It's a very difficult time."

Uribe, a 39-year-old opposition candidate from the rightwing Centro Democrático party, was shot twice in the head and once in the leg during the campaign event.

Graphic videos showed the senator bleeding and slumped against the floor; he remains in a critical condition. A 15-year-old reportedly said he had been paid to shoot Uribe and has been charged with attempted murder. He has pleaded not guilty.