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Brutal killing of American in Guatemala

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-15 09:35

GUATEMALA CITY - Guatemalan police arrested two brothers on Thursday accused of hacking to death an American tourist with machetes on his yacht, where he was vacationing with his wife.

A group of men boarded the couple's boat on Saturday, docked on a popular lake near Guatemala's Caribbean coast, and demanded cash.

Daniel Dryden, 66, fought back with his own machete but was killed in the attack.

His wife was hospitalized with a collapsed lung after the assailants prodded her in the chest with knives, according to a memorial Web site set up by their family members.

"Two men were apprehended with the aid of security cameras," the public prosecutor's office said in a statement. They will appear in court on Monday, it said.

Guatemala has one of the highest murder rates in Latin America, with armed robbery a common crime. But the small Central American country is still popular with tourists for its picturesque lakes and Mayan jungle pyramids.