Journalist Ciro Gómez Leyva denounces assassination attempt

The Mexican journalist Ciro Gomez Leyvaone of the most renowned radio and television news presenters in the country, was shot at this Thursday, reported the communicator himself, who was unharmed in the attack.

“At 11:10 pm, 200 meters from my house, two people on a motorcycle shot at me, apparently with the clear intention of killing me,” the journalist reported on his Twitter account.

“The armor of my truck that I was driving saved me and I have reported the matter to the authorities,” added Gómez Leyva, who shared images of the bullet impacts on the windshield, one of the windows and the body of his vehicle.

The journalist, also known for his criticism of the government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradoris a regular target of the president’s jabs during his usual morning conference.

Just last Wednesday, López Obrador affirmed during his conference that listening to Gómez Leyva and other journalists who are adverse to his management is “even harmful to health.”

“Imagine if you just listen to Ciro [Gómez Leyva](…) you can even get a brain tumor,” López Obrador said sarcastically.

After the attack, the Mexican foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard expressed “solidarity, appreciation and support” to the communicator.

“I hope that the authorities will soon find the material and intellectual authors of what happened and the law will be applied to them,” Ebrard wrote on his Twitter account.

The attack on Gómez Leyva comes during one of the deadliest years for reporters in Mexico, with 13 of them killed so far this year, according to government data.

The country is considered one of the most dangerous in the world to practice the profession, according to the organization that defends journalists. Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Since the year 2000, more than 150 journalists have been assassinated in Mexico, according to an RSF count. These crimes, for the most part, remain unpunished.