TV station from Macapá victim of attack

The TV Marco Zero building in Macapá, northern Brazil, was invaded by three men on Friday night. According to a TV station statement, the men subjugated a security man and entered the building announcing a holdup. Then, they attacked the employees, took one of the directors as a hostage and destroyed furniture and objects. After that, they set a room and some documents on fire.

According to the TV station, the attackers told the employees that journalism should not get involved with politics. An employee of the Regional Electoral Court of Amapá (TRE / AP), who prefers to remain anonymous, was also inside the building and was treated with violence, according to Court. The three owners of TV Marco Zero are candidates on the 2010 elections.

The police of Amapá has opened an investigation. Officers from the technical-scientific police conducted an inspection and found out that no object was taken.

On an interview to the website Terra, the broadcaster Gilvan Barbosa said that he believes his program was the main target of what he called "attack". He was not inside the building at the moment of the incident, but he said that he has been receiving threats for twenty days, and on Friday, shortly before his program, he received a call asking him not to speak about politics.