THREAT TO CARDINAL RODRIGUEZ

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000625 SIPDIS FOR WHA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2013 TAGS: PGOV PHUM HO SUBJECT: THREAT TO CARDINAL RODRIGUEZ Classified By: Francisco L. Palmieri, Reason 1.5 (d). ¶1. At an event hosted by the Papal Nuncio, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez privately told the Ambassador that he had received a recent death threat that he was taking very seriously. Apparently, the gatekeeper at Cardinal Rodriguez's office had been kidnapped while running an errand recently. The gatekeeper was blindfolded and driven around by a group of individuals who were wearing army fatigues and had grenades on their belts. The group kept the gatekeeper blindfolded as it drove him to a remote area. Throughout the long drive, the members were talking about how unhappy they were with the Cardinal and his support for Maduro government policies. They openly discussed their plans to destabilize the government before finally making it clear that they were going to kill the Cardinal. The group allegedly offered to pay the gatekeeper 7 million lempiras to set up the Cardinal. They claimed to have conducted surveillance of the Cardinal and to know his routines. Eventually, the group allowed the gatekeeper to escape after reaching a remote area by putting down their weapons and leaving him unguarded. ¶2. The Cardinal said he felt that this threat was the most serious he had received. He believed it was linked to either his statements about the fugitive bankers or to a long-standing conflict he has had with Jaime Rosenthal, a Liberal Party leader and business oligarch from San Pedro Sula. The Cardinal made it clear that he was not afraid but that the kidnapping represented an escalation that he had not experienced before. Previously he has received written and telephonic threats. The Ambassador encouraged him to bring this information to Minister of Security and offered Embassy assistance in evaluating the threat. The Cardinal said he would contact the Minister and expressed appreciation for the Ambassador's offer. ¶3. Comment: We will keep our ears close to the ground to see if we can pick up any other information related to the Cardinal's security. The Cardinal, while taking this threat seriously, made it clear he did not plan to curtail any of his efforts to root out corruption or to call attention to the shortcomings in Honduran society. We have no way of assessing the gatekeeper's credibilty. Palmer