Peru declares state of emergency in capital over extortion killings
March 17 2025 10:22:47
LIMA
Peru announced a state of emergency late Sunday in the capital Lima over a wave of killings linked to extortion.
The move came after singer Paul Flores was shot dead by hitmen who attacked a bus he was riding with bandmates as they left a concert outside Lima.
The musicians had been threatened by a criminal gang who attempted to extort money from them, their representatives said.
"It has been ordered that in the coming hours, a state of emergency be decreed throughout the province of Lima and the Constitutional province of Callao," Gustavo Adrianzen, head of the ministerial cabinet, posted on X.
While extortion is a problem across Latin America, it has taken on alarming proportions in Peru - a phenomenon blamed partly on criminal gangs such as Venezuela's Tren de Aragua which operates in several Latin American countries.
More:
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/peru-declares-state-of-emergency-in-capital-over-extortion-killings-206979
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Updated on: January 21, 2025 / 6:27 AM EST / CBS/AFP
A journalist who reported on Peru's extortion epidemic was shot dead on Monday and two people were injured in a separate bomb attack on a prosecutor's office that also investigates racketeering, authorities said.
Gaston Medina, the owner and editor of a regional TV channel, was gunned down as he was leaving his house in the south-central city of Ica, the country's National Association of Journalists (ANP) said in a statement.
He was shot multiple times by gunmen and declared dead on his arrival at hospital, the ANP added.
"The ANP will remain vigilant so that this crime does not go unpunished," the group said.
More:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/peru-journalist-gaston-medina-killed-prosecutors-office-bombed/
Murdered journalist, Gaston Medina.
