In a letter to Minister for International Relations and Justice José Ignacio Arcaya, Robert Ménard, RSF’s secretary-general, states that he is “extremely concerned over the attempted attack against the El Universal daily premises.” “Our organisation welcomes the initiation of an investigation into the event,” said Ménard before asking the minister to “take appropriate measures to […]
In a letter to Minister for International Relations and Justice José Ignacio Arcaya, Robert Ménard, RSF’s secretary-general, states that he is “extremely concerned over the attempted attack against the El Universal daily premises.” “Our organisation welcomes the initiation of an investigation into the event,” said Ménard before asking the minister to “take appropriate measures to ensure that media are protected from these kinds of threats” and to “keep him informed of developments in the investigation.”
On 7 December 1999, an apparently explosive device was discovered and de-activated in the newspaper’s building, which also holds the main offices of three international press agencies, AP, AFP and DPA. The package which contained the suspicious device had been placed in one of the main stairways of the “El Universal” building. Apparently, an extreme leftist organisation, the Tupamaro Group, has claimed responsibility for this failed attack. One of the organisation’s members called the daily’s offices to report that there was a bomb in the premises. Ten days earlier, police officers had to neutralise another suspicious package found in the building which houses the offices of the “El Impulso” daily.
