Gunmen open fire on Guatemala's presidential entourage, one wounded

Passengers of a moving car opened fire on Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei’s entourage on Saturday, leaving one wounded although the country's president was elsewhere at the time , reported Reuters.

The president was traveling through the northwestern state of Huehuetenango on Saturday when a car approached the presidential entourage and opened fire.

"Personnel of the Guatemalan Army halted a vehicle that approached the location. The occupants of the vehicle, upon seeing the presence of military personnel, started firing to which the soldiers responded," said Ruben Tellez, spokesperson for the Guatemalan army.

The president, however, was a mile away from the confrontation at the time.

"We inform the people of Guatemala and the international community that the president is unharmed and was evacuated from the area in a timely manner," a government statement said.

The statement added that one of the gunmen was a Mexican national and was injured in the legs during the confrontation. He was taken to a local hospital to be treated.

The others fled in the direction of the Mexican border, about 50 miles away.

Later that day, the Mexican military detained four Guatemalans who were involved in the incident. Along with the suspects, the Mexican officials also found two rifle grenades.