Hospital under guard; General Imbert in hospital bed; shots of Imbert's bullet-ridden car.




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Background: Dominican Republic police are hunting for the gunmen who on Wednesday (22 March) tried to assassinate General Antonio Imbert Barrera. The General is now recuperating from shoulder wounds in a Santo Domingo hospital.

The assassination attempt took place as General Imbert and his companion Mayor Marino Garcia were driving on the outskirts of Santo Domingo. Both men were wounded by shots from a speeding blue car. The bullets shattered the windshield, making identification impossible.

Despite his wounds, the General was able to drive to the hospital, and to warn bystanders to clear the way because he feared the gunmen might make another attempt on his life. Later, from his hospital bed, he expressed the opinion that the gunmen were followers of the late Dictator Rafael Trujillo, a former rival of General Imbert, assassinated in 1961.

The hospital was placed under heavy guard immediately after the General's arrival, but latest reports indicate that the shooting would not disturb the comparative quiet of Santo Domingo by stimulating civil demonstrations.