On Tuesday, the Honduran Deputy Minister of Security, Julissa Villanueva, emerged unharmed from an assassination attempt carried out by armed men while she was traveling through the America neighborhood in Tegucigalpa.
RELATED:
Authorities confirmed that two unknown individuals fired upon one of the armored security vehicles that accompanied the senior official. Fortunately, everyone escaped the attack unharmed.
"I am fine, but it's unsettling to be told that shots are being fired. Nevertheless, I asked the escorts to stay calm and investigate because these people are genuinely trying to kill me," the Deputy Security Minister said.
In recent weeks, Villanueva has received escalated threats, particularly after her report regarding the discovery of Police-issued bullet casings in the massacre of female inmates at the Tamara Women's Penitentiary.
In a television interview, the deputy minister asserted that the threats and intimidations originate from the institution where she works.
"I won't tolerate anyone obstructing my work. I have a technical-scientific unit working with me. How could I not know that the messages are coming from this very institution?"
Villanueva, a forensic doctor, led an intervention commission formed at the National Penitentiary Institute after the massacre of 46 inmates. She has also spearheaded investigations into the murder of football enthusiast Wilson Perez and other prominent cases of violence.
So far, Security Minister Gustavo Sanchez has not provided updates on the progress of investigations related to the threats against Villanueva.