US embassy cable - 03TEGUCIGALPA882

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000882 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CEN, DS/OP/WHA, CA, INL, AND DRL 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/08/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PTER, SNAR, KCRM, CASC, ASEC, PINR, HO 
SUBJECT: GUNMEN SHOOT ADVANCE CAR OF HONDURAN FIRST LADY 
AGUAS DE MADURO; GOH SAYS ATTEMPTED ROBBERY LIKELY REASON 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Larry Palmer; Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (U)  According to Honduran Minister of Public Security 
Oscar Alvarez, an advance car for Honduran First Lady Aguas 
Santas Ocana de Maduro was shot by unknown gunmen near the 
town of Los Limones on the road from Olanchito to the 
Caribbean coastal city of Trujillo in the Department of Yoro, 
at approximately 11:30 a.m. Honduran time on April 10.  Note: 
 A separate GOH source gave the location as near the town of 
Los Encuentros (near La Union) in the Department of Olancho. 
End Note.  The driver of the advance car was wounded in the 
leg by the gunfire; the other two occupants of the car were 
apparently not injured.  No suspects have been caught.  The 
GOH does not believe that the gunmen knew that the car was an 
advance car for the First Lady, who was in Tegucigalpa at the 
time of the incident. 
 
2. (U) Alvarez told the DCM that the car was advancing a 
planned trip via helicopter by the First Lady to Trujillo. 
He emphasized that the First Lady was never scheduled to 
travel by car and that her helicopter flight had been 
canceled due to bad weather.  The First Lady told ConGen that 
she was ok, but shaken by the incident. 
 
3. (U) Whether it was on highway 41 in the Department of 
Olancho, known as the "corridor of death," or highway 23 in 
the Department of Yoro, both have been the scene of violent 
robberies in the past in which gunmen have shot at cars and 
buses to disable the vehicles or force the vehicles to stop. 
Gunmen then have robbed the drivers/passengers of the 
vehicles. 
 
4. (U) Post notes that President Ricardo Maduro has been in 
Washington, DC since April 9 for the Central American 
presidents meeting with the President to discuss CAFTA.  The 
two have been married since October 2002.  The First Lady is 
a Spaniard. 
 
5. (C) Comment:  Given the fact that the First Lady never 
intended to travel by car, Post has no reason to believe that 
this was anything other than an attempted robbery, but 
EmbOffs will follow-up with GOH contacts as the incident is 
investigated further.  End Comment. 
Palmer