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Gunmen attack Venezuelan public broadcaster


Shots at Vive TV office leave two injured

Political official injured by bullet at TV studio

El Universal, Venezuela, Monday August 1 2011


 
Maracaibo: One political and another internal security official were left injured after two gunmen fired shots at the [regional] headquarters of the informative, cultural and educational television station Vive TV in the Zapara neighbourhood to the north of the capital of Zulia state [Maracaibo].

The incident occurred at 10am yesterday, Sunday, just before a press team who were on duty left the office to start their working day. The criminals departed in a white Cherokee 4x4 without number plates.

One of the projectiles hit political official Gustavo Ceballos, who for days had been lending his support to the television station due to the robberies and thefts reported in the last few months.

Investigating teams from the Regional Police, GNB [Bolivarian National Guard] and SEBIN [Bolivarian National Intelligence Service] arrived at the scene. The Secretariat of Security, commissioner Odalis Caldera and CICPC [Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigation Body] officials also collected the shells and other evidence left by the delinquents. A security cordon was established to find those involved.

The coordinator of Vive Occidente, José Luis Méndez, said via telephone that Ceballos was wounded in the right thigh and retired Sergeant Major Third Class José Brito, Vive's security official, threw himself [out of the way] at the the moment of the attack and broke one of his legs. There were no journalists injured.

The president of Vive TV, Ricardo Márquez, condemned the violent attack, and hoped that the authorities would conclude their investigations, as this could not be dismissed as a mere fright.

“These individuals had a clear objective, this is not a mistake, it is a premeditated act, the was no intention to rob, they sought to put the life of a Vive worker at risk,” he said.

He believed the National Public Media System (SNMP) to be a clear target, because it touches certain interests, and so investigations had to be made to find the whereabouts of these criminals.

“They are not going to intimidate us, we will continue doing the job that they entrusted us with in front of the office,” Ricardo Márquez pointed out.

With information from María Teresa Luengo.

Translated by James Tweedie

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