Mother Of Colombian Leader Shot In Head Was Kidnapped By Pablo Escobar

Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot three times, twice in the head, during a campaign event in a Bogota park on Saturday.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene, according to local media. Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed the arrest and said authorities are investigating possible accomplices. The motive behind the attack is unknown.

Mr Uribe's wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, said he is "fighting for his life."

Mr Uribe belongs to a well-known Colombian family. His father was a union leader and businessman tied to the Liberal Party. His mother, Diana Turbay, a journalist, was kidnapped in 1990 by a group working under drug lord Pablo Escobar and died in a failed rescue attempt.

Who Was Diana Turbay?

Born on March 9, 1950, in Bogota, Diana Turbay was the daughter of Julio Cesar Turbay Ayala, Colombia's 25th president. She founded and directed the news magazine Hoy x Hoy and was known for her sharp questions, deep empathy, and refusal to sensationalise violence, a rarity in Colombia's media at the time.

Story Of Diana Turbay

In Colombia's blood-soaked history of drug cartels and political turmoil, few stories are as symbolic as that of Diana Turbay, a courageous journalist, the daughter of a former president, and a casualty in Pablo Escobar's brutal war with the state.

On January 25, 1991, Diana, just 40, died from a gunshot wound during a botched rescue mission. She had been held hostage for nearly five months by operatives of the Medellin Cartel, Colombia's most feared criminal empire, run by Escobar. But her story, and the events leading to her death, began long before that tragic day.

The Deadly Assignment

In August 1990, Diana set out on what she believed would be a landmark interview with a guerrilla leader known as "Cura Perez," a high-ranking figure in the ELN (National Liberation Army). Accompanied by five other journalists and a cameraman, she left Bogota and headed into Antioquia's rugged mountains.

Hace 33 años perdí a mi mamá, Diana Turbay y hoy a pesar del tiempo que ha pasado, mi mamá ha sido mi motivación y ejemplo para trabajar por nuestro país.

Me enseñó que los principios no se negocian y el valor de la integridad.

Como periodista fue fiel a la verdad y creyente de… pic.twitter.com/rmpoDzeRkW

— Miguel Uribe (@MiguelUribeT) January 25, 2024

The interview was a trap.

The supposed guerrillas were actually members of Los Priscos, a brutal gang working directly under Pablo Escobar. Their mission was to kidnap prominent Colombians to pressure the government into stopping extradition to the United States, Escobar's most feared outcome.

Diana was now one of Escobar's pawns.

Months In Captivity

She was held at a remote ranch in Copacabana, north of Medellin. Fellow hostage Richard Becerra, a cameraman, was also detained with her. Reports say she was treated "humanely" by her captors. She managed to smuggle out letters, encouraged the release of another journalist, and reportedly asked authorities not to use force. She won the respect of even those who guarded her. But time was running out.

The Fatal Rescue

On January 25, 1991, Colombian police, acting on intelligence, launched a rescue operation without informing her family. What happened next was tragic.

In the crossfire, Diana was hit in the back. The bullet damaged vital organs. She was rushed to a hospital in Medellin but died shortly after undergoing emergency surgery.

It was never confirmed whether the fatal shot came from her captors or the police, but the operation was widely condemned. Her family had pleaded against a forced rescue, fearing exactly this outcome.

Her death is chronicled in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's News of a Kidnapping.