Guatemalans protest wave of bus driver murders

By Herbert Hernandez

Over the past week, close to a dozen bus drivers and fare collectors have been murdered, with five killed on Tuesday alone. The government says it was a coordinated assault.

Attacks against bus drivers are common in Guatemala, one of the most violent countries in the Americas, with 48 murdered last year. Many of the killings are blamed on violent youth gangs extorting fees from drivers.

"These are terrorist attacks against the government," Colom said on Thursday. "Five bus drivers were killed systematically by professionals."

Since the bookish former businessman took office he has fired 72 military and 32 police officers for suspected links to criminal gangs.

(Additional reporting by Brendan Kolbay, editing by Philip Barbara)