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Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said late Thursday that there was an alleged plan by a drug cartel to assassinate him and U.S. Ambassador to Honduras James Nealon.
"They reported there was evidence of plans for an attack against Ambassador Nealon and against myself by the Atlantic Cartel, so we told everyone that they had to do their job, investigate and bring proceedings in the case," Hernandez told a radio station.
Hernandez added that security forces in Honduras are investigating the incident.
The revelation comes a day after Honduran army captain Santos Orellana, under investigation by the United States for alleged corruption and drug trafficking ties, accused the Drug Enforcement Agency of pressuring him to testify against the president's brother over a plot to kill the U.S. ambassador.
The New York Times published a report in April on the alleged involvement of the National Police of Honduras with the Atlantic Cartel. According to officials, this is the largest and powerful criminal organization in the Central American country.
The political instability plaguing the country resulted largely from the U.S.-backed 2009 coup against President Manuel Zelaya, which has exacerbated Honduras' security crisis, leading it to have the world's highest homicide rate at 90.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to official figures.
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