Manuel Zelaya: almost assassinated?

Could be. Here he is, beside his lightly-damaged car, inspecting two mysterious marks on the windshield:

And now, the story:

TEGUCIGALPA. Last Friday afternoon, two rocks or bullets hit the car in which the president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, was riding. No major damage was done, according to the president, who ruled out “political motivations”.

“I don’t know if it concerns an attempt on my life; I can’t say. The Department of Investigation is here looking into it,” said Zelaya.

“There are two impacts, no one knows if they are from rocks or gunshots, but this will be investigated. But it’s not the work of professionals. A pro wouldn’t leave you alive,” said the Honduran president. He was driving a grey Toyota Lexus, along with three motorcycle outriders and a security car. Behind the vehicle, another car followed throughout the ring road of the capital city.

Suddenly, Zelaya noticed two impacts in the windshield, but neither one hit him.

Zelaya ruled out that the incident had “political motivations” from groups he has confronted. “I don’t believe it’s anything political…they would be fools to do it,” said the leader, alluding to sectors who oppose his proposal to elect a Constituent Assembly as part of the general elections planned for November.

In the primary investigations, experts have so far found evidence of neither stones nor gunshots.

Zelaya, who has taken a left turn as a member of the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas (ALBA), spearheaded by Cuba and Venezuela, maintains a confrontation with conservative groups who in the past had the power to make or break presidents. This confrontation, which has been going on for several months, was aggravated in March when Zelaya called a referendum–for June 28 of this year–to determine whether the general elections in November will also see the election of a Constituent Assembly (to rewrite the Honduran constitution.)

Well, if this was a murder attempt, one possible motive is clear; the 28th is just two weeks away, and if Zelaya were done away with, there would be no referendum on that date after all. No referendum would mean no chance of a constituent assembly, meaning in turn that the traditional power-brokers in Honduras would maintain their power unchallenged.

Meanwhile, a preliminary report says that the mystery marks were not produced by a firearm.

The investigation continues.