CARACAS, Venezuela.- Newspaper "Ahora" director, Jose Tovar, was assassinated in the Venezuelan capital, informed police.

The newspaper "Ahora" is known to be of pro-government tendency.

The head of homicides from the judicial police, Alexander Perez, declared that by the position in which the corpse was found and the angle the bullets entered the victim’s body is presumed that the perpetrator traveled with Tovar in his car at the time the homicide took place.

"Robbery is discarded as a motive according to the number of shots fired at Tovar", said the police commissioner.

The police force is looking for Tovar’s security escort whom apparently, was not with him at the time.

Venezuela is rated third for homicides in Latin America, behind Colombia and El Salvador, according to the 2005 report from the Pan-American Health Organization.

In 2005 nine thousand 402 homicides were reported in the country, according to government statistics. Some experts maintain that the true number is higher. Kidnappings are also frequent.