Gangs carry out armed attack on public buses

Youth gangs in Guatemala City carried out three armed attacks on public buses yesterday, killing at least one passenger and one passerby, and injuring seven other people, including a police officer and a bus driver. The incidents left several zones of the capital city without public transportation, as many drivers refused to provide services. Authorities believe that criminal organisations hired the youth gangs to extort money from drivers in exchange for safe passage. In 2009 alone nearly 50 people have been killed in attacks against public transportation providers. Over the last several weeks, various routes of public transportation have temporarily halted their services to protest the growing wave of insecurity.