GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Gunmen with automatic weapons stormed Guyana's largest newspaper, killing five people and wounding four in an attack that police said may be linked to the slaying of the South American country's agriculture minister in April.
About 10 gunmen attacked just before midnight Tuesday, ordering employees in the printing department of the Kaieteur News to lie on the floor before shooting them and fleeing, acting Police Chief Henry Greene said.
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Police said five were killed and four wounded, revising their earlier casualty toll of six dead and three wounded.
"We are launching a massive search for those who might be involved," Greene said Wednesday. "We have called out many of our ranks from homes."
Police said the motive for attack was unclear and there had been no arrests. Investigators suspect the involvement of a gang that forced its way into the home of Agriculture Minister Satyadeo Sawh, killing him and two of his siblings. No arrests have been made in the attack on the minister.
Guyana, situated on the northern shoulder of South America just east of Venezuela, has experienced a sharp rise in crime in recent years and has become a center of drug trafficking.
The former Dutch and British colony is preparing for general elections later this month. Violence and protests have erupted around previous elections, and the U.S. State Department has warned of a possible repeat this year.
The Kaieteur News, the country's highest-circulation daily, is a tabloid that focuses much of its attention on crime and corruption in the country of 770,000 people.
