Miguel Guevara a 59-year-old priest has been injured in an acid attack in the Nicaraguan capital, Managua and is being treated in hospital for serious burns to his face, arms and shoulders.
The woman who attacked him has been identified as a Russian citizen and although the local media have pointed to the fact that the woman was wearing a T-shirt with a picture of foetus making obscene gestures as a possible motive the real motive might be far more nefarious.
The Catholic Church in Nicaragua has come in for sharp criticism by the government for its role as a place of sanctuary for opposition activists in the recent anti-government protests. Hundreds of people were killed in clashes and at times churches even came under siege from pro-government forces.
In July, this year President Ortega publically accused the Nicaraguan clergy of siding with the protesters and relations have been strained ever since. What is also common knowledge is that Russia is big supporters of his regime seeing it as a more stable alternative to its previously prefered partner in the region Venezuela. They have supplied modern weaponry in the form of T52 tanks and seem keen to co-operate militarily.
It is far fetched thinking that Russia might have been involved – however even stirring up pro-government feeling could motivate a citizen to act.
