Reuters AlertNet Lite - German, Croat tourists robbed in Rio crime wave

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German, Croat tourists robbed in Rio crime wave

04 Jan 2007 12:28:38 GMT
Source: Reuters

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Police said four armed men robbed six German and Croat tourists early on Thursday while they were riding into Rio de Janeiro from the airport, the latest in a series of attacks on tourists in the city.

The minibus robbery came amid a broader crime surge that prompted Rio de Janeiro state's new governor, Sergio Cabral Filho, to increase security before a presidential summit of the South American Mercosur trade bloc this month and the Carnival in February.

The visitors were not harmed, said an inspector at the tourist police office who asked not to be identified.

In November, thieves armed with automatic rifles and grenades robbed a busload of British tourists who had just arrived, prompting Rio's police chief to offer escorts for arriving visitors.

Cabral said on Wednesday the government will send a national security force to curb gang violence that killed 20 people last week in Rio, Brazil's main tourist destination that has one of the world's highest murder rates.

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Last updated:Thu Jan 4 12:31:20 2007