Page 12 - AT

A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 14 March 2019
Ex-students attack school in Brazil, 8 dead

By MAURICIO SAVARESE carrying Molotov cocktails,
ANNA JEAN KAISER knives and axes, authorities
Associated Press said
SUZANO, Brazil (AP) — Two "In 34 years as a police-
masked men armed with man, it's the first time I see
guns, knives, axes and someone use a crossbow
crossbows descended on a like that," police Col. Mar-
school in southern Brazil on celo Salles said. "It is horren-
Wednesday, killing five stu- dous."
dents and two adults be- The attackers were trying
fore taking their own lives, to force their way inside a
authorities said. room at the back of the
The men, identified as for- school where many stu-
mer students at the school dents were hiding when
in a suburb of Sao Paulo, police arrived. Instead of
also shot and killed the face police, they turned
owner of a used car busi- their weapons on them-
ness nearby before launch- selves, authorities said with-
ing the attack on the out elaborating.
school, authorities said. Students gathered outside
Besides the five students, the school recounted har-
the dead included a rowing attacks and seeing
teacher and a school Police officers stand guard outside the Raul Brasil State School in Suzano, the greater Sao Paulo several bodies lying in pools
administrator, said Joao area, Brazil, Wednesday, March 13, 2019. of blood.
Camilo Pires de Campos, Associated Press Kelly Milene Guerra Cardo-
the state's public secretary. so, 16, said she and other
Nine others were wounded side the school in the Sao de Castro. a .38 caliber handgun and students took refuge in the
in the school attack and Paulo suburb of Suzano. "The big question is: what de Castro used a crossbow, school's cafeteria, locked
hospitalized, he said. Authorities identified the was the motivation of these de Campos said, adding the door and lay on the
"This is the saddest day of attackers as 17-year-old former students?" de Cas- that forensics would deter- floor.
my life," de Campos said, Guilherme Taucci Monteiro tro said. mine how the victims died. "We stayed there until the
speaking to reporters out- and 25-year-old Henrique Monteiro opened fire with The attackers were also door was opened. q

Nicaragua 'marathon' protester flees for exile in Costa Rica

By GABRIELA SELSER after protests demanding
MANAGUA, Nicaragua Ortega's exit from office
(AP) — A Nicaraguan man broke out last year and
who became a prominent hundreds died in a crack-
public face of opposition to down by security forces.
President Daniel Ortega's Government officials have
government for his defiant accused opposition dem-
protest runs through the onstrators of being "coup
capital has left the coun- plotters" and "terrorists." Ro-
try for exile, his son said sario Murillo, Nicaragua's
Wednesday. powerful vice president
Byron Vanegas, Alex Vane- and first lady, once said
gas' son, confirmed to The that Alex Vanegas was
Associated Press that his "making a fool of himself"
father, who came to be and suggested he was one
known as the "marathon of many "traitors."
man," has gone to neigh- Also Wednesday, the gov-
boring Costa Rica. ernment said in a statement
"He decided to leave the that its representatives for
country because he could the talks had returned to
no longer stand the (police) the facility where they had
siege and harassment," By- been taking place — be-
ron Vanegas said. He had fore being suspended last
been briefly detained re- Alex Vanegas holds on to the iron bars he had installed on the porch of his apartment to symbol- Friday — in hopes that the
peatedly during the pro- ize his home arrest in Managua, Nicaragua, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Civic Alliance opposition
tests and in November was Associated Press group would show up.
jailed for what turned out Opposition delegates have
to be four months. along with about 100 oth- Byron Vanegas said his fa- ing to halt his struggle," By- said they will not resume di-
In a recent interview, Alex ers considered political pris- ther crossed into Costa ron Vanegas said. "So now alogue until Ortega makes
Vanegas, 62, told the AP oners, as talks resumed on Rica "somewhere along the he will continue protesting "overwhelming gestures"
that police patrols were Nicaragua's political stand- border." He did not give fur- and running for Nicaragua" of goodwill, including the
watching his home con- off. ther details. from exile. immediate and definitive
stantly after he was condi- Those people are not sup- "He always said that Orte- Tens of thousands of Nica- release of about 770 peo-
tionally released to house posed to leave their homes, ga was not going to quiet raguans have fled to Costa ple considered political
arrest in late February, much less the country, but him, that nobody was go- Rica and other countries prisoners.q