Elder Joel Aguilar, a correspondent for Canal 6, had recently reported on an armed gang holdup of four trucks carrying shipments of coffee.
(C-Libre/IFEX) – 30 April 2012 – Elder Joel Aguilar, a correspondent for Canal 6, survived an attack on the night of 28 April. The incident occurred while he was on a highway that connects Nueva Arcadia (La Entrada), in Copán, to the city of San Pedro Sula.
According to Aguilar, when he went to pick up his partner from work at a gas station outside of Nueva Arcadia, two people in a car shot at him repeatedly with AK-47s.
Aguilar said that as soon as he felt the shots hitting his car, he accelerated and drove until he crashed into a barrier at a gas station on the highway.
The police report said there were 14 AK-47 bullet holes in the car, including in the window in front of the driver’s seat and in the doors on the left-hand side of the vehicle.
According to sources that asked not to be named, Aguilar had recently reported on an armed gang holdup of four trucks carrying shipments of coffee. The description of the car belonging to the people who attacked Aguilar matches that of the vehicles used by organised crime groups in the area.
Roberto Hernández, the mayor of Nueva Arcadia, stated that Aguilar’s reporting has provoked reactions from many people, and he also condemned the attack.
Because of the seriousness of the incident, Aguilar is asking for police protection.
(Please note this is an abridged translation.)
