Colombian journalist dies in gunfire attack

A Colombian radio journalist who had received death threats died after being shot by two gunmen while driving to work in the …

A Colombian radio journalist who had received death threats died after being shot by two gunmen while driving to work in the city of Cucuta today, police said.

Mr Julio Hernando Palacio managed to drive home after being shot three times by two unidentified men on a motorcycle but died later in hospital, a police spokesman said.

Mr Palacio, a 54-year-old father of six, and three other reporters received death threats four months ago after making accusations about local government corruption on a Cucuta radio station.

But it was not immediately clear whether his murder was linked to the threats. Colombia has one of the world's highest homicide rates, with 20,000 murders recorded in 2004. Marxist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary outlaws fighting a 40-year-old war often target reporters.