Political violence in Colombia has been rising since 2022, but it has been largely contained at a local level. The brazen attack on a prominent politician in the capital suggests the perpetrators no longer fear repercussions.

On Saturday, a Colombian presidential candidate was shot in the head at a rally in the country’s capital, Bogotá. The violent episodehas many Colombians wondering if the country is headed back to a darker time.

This is the kind of moment that feels really pivotal, and it’s frankly a very dangerous moment in Colombian politics,” said Elizabeth Dickinson, Senior Colombia Analyst at Crisis Group International.