Journalist Admits Sending Death Threat to Himself

Colombian didn't want his state protection to expire
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 30, 2015 2:49 PM CDT
Journalist Admits Sending Death Threat to Himself
Police officers escort alleged drug traffickers in Bogota.   (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Being a crime reporter in Colombia is a dangerous occupation, for sure, but a journalist there went a little too far in trying to protect himself. Yesid Toro went public with a death threat made against him, only to admit later that he had sent the threat to himself, reports the BBC. The reason? He'd been receiving state protection because of previous, presumably legit, death threats, and it was about to expire. So he made up a flyer from a drug gang, and, voila, the protection continued on the state's dime. Then Toro's story unraveled, and now he's facing criminal and civil charges. (More Colombia stories.)

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