Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei survived a shooting attack after he and and his staff were targeted during a meeting in the northwestern department of Huehuetenango, 60 KM E of Mexican-Guatemalan border.
During a trip around the country in one of the villages, his motorcade was fired from automatic weapons. According to the first statements, the President of Guatemala himself was not injured, but there are wounded among the guards.
The army claims that during the search operation they stopped a car from which they opened fire on the soldiers. As a result, a certain Mexican was captured (perhaps all this is some kind of showdown related to drugs and cartels, for example, the Sinaloa cartel was active in Guatemala).
Earlier, a prominent democratic journalist was arrested in the capital of Guatemala, who accused Giamatti of blatant corruption.
One man was wounded Saturday after gunmen opened fire on soldiers at a checkpoint providing area security for a visit by Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei to a town near the Mexican border.
Rubén Téllez, a spokesman for the Guatemalan army, said soldiers were working a highway checkpoint intended to act as perimeter security for the presidential visit to La Laguna, a town in Huehuetenango province.
Téllez said a car approached the checkpoint and its occupants then opened fire on soldiers, who returned fire.
One man, possibly a Mexican, was shot in the legs during the incident and was taken for medical treatment.
It does not appear that Giammattei was ever in danger, was the target of the attack or was anywhere near the shooting.
The area is frequented by human traffickers and drug smugglers, many of whom work for Mexican gangs.
