Tegucigalpa: Masked protesters set fire to the gate of the US embassy in Honduras on Friday during massive demonstrations against public sector reforms in the country.

Thousands of doctors, teachers and students had taken to the streets to demand the government abandon plans to privatize the health and education sectors.

Firefighters came to extinguish the blaze, which destroyed the diplomatic mission's gate without damaging the main embassy building.

The US embassy issued a statement after the attack urging Hondurans to refrain from "acts of violence".

Police spokesman Jair Meza told local media that one of the suspects, a 23-year-old man, had been arrested.

Relatives of the suspect later went with a crowd to the police headquarters where they shouted demands for his freedom.

Demonstrators blamed "government infiltrators" for the damage to the embassy. </s> The main entrance of the US Embassy in the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa was left charred after demonstrators set fire to tires and objects in front of the building.

The fire was extinguished by Friday afternoon, and a State Department spokesperson later said no embassy personnel were injured in the incident, reports CNN.

The fire came amid days of protests by education and medical professionals, who are urging the government not to privatize their sectors.

The US Embassy had previously instructed the families of US government employees to remain home during the protests.

It was not immediately clear whether the embassy was the intended target of the demonstrators.

A senior State Department official told CNN the incident did not appear to be serious and that staffers were seeking more information from the scene.

The State Department spokesperson for Western Hemisphere Affairs later called the fire an "unacceptable" act of "violence", and said the embassy was working "closely" with Honduran authorities. </s> TEHRAN, Jun. 01 (MNA) – Protesters set fire to the US embassy Honduras on Friday, a day after tens of thousands of Hondurans marched to demand the resignation of President Juan Orlando Hernandez. </s> Protesters torched the access gate to the U.S. Embassy in the Honduran capital on Friday during a second day of major protests against President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

The protesters set fire to the entrance of the building in downtown ​​Tegucigalpa with about a dozen tires after dousing them with fuel, Reuters witnesses and fire services officials said. A fire department official said there were no damage to the embassy apart from the access gate.

The attack came on the second day of protests over decrees by Hernandez that his critics argue will lead to the privatization of public services.

The demonstrators were pushed toward the embassy after being dispersed from a nearby commercial zone by police nearby, though it was not immediately clear why they attacked the building.

The protesters chanted “American trash, American trash” outside the embassy, which was not being guarded at the time.

A court filing earlier this week showed that Hernandez had been investigated by U.S. authorities as part of a drug trafficking and money laundering probe linked to his brother. The president has not been charged with any crime. </s> Protesters have torched the access gate to the US Embassy in the Honduran capital during a second day of major protests against President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

The protesters set fire to the entrance of the building in downtown Tegucigalpa with about a dozen tires after dousing them with fuel, fire services officials said.

A fire department official said there were no damage to the embassy apart from the access gate.

The attack came on the second day of protests over decrees by Hernandez that his critics argue will lead to the privatisation of public services.

The demonstrators were pushed toward the embassy after being dispersed from a nearby commercial zone by police nearby, though it was not immediately clear why they attacked the building.

The protesters chanted "American trash, American trash" outside the embassy, which was not being guarded at the time.

A court filing earlier this week showed that Hernandez had been investigated by US authorities as part of a drug trafficking and money laundering probe linked to his brother. The president has not been charged with any crime.

Hernandez has faced stiff opposition in Honduras since he claimed a second term in a highly divisive election at the end of 2017 which was heavily criticised by international observers and which his opponents say he stole.

Hernandez, a conservative ally of the US government, rode out protests against his re-election after he was recognised as the victor by countries including the United States. </s> Demonstrators reportedly set fire to the main entrance of the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Friday.

This came amid nationwide protests from teachers and doctors.

The day before, US Ambassador to Honduras Chargé Heide Fulton issued a statement urging Hondurans against acts of violence.

In a security alert on the embassy's website, family members of US government employees in the country were instructed to stay home on Friday.

Read more: Trump's tough border policies are actually helping the human smuggling business, experts say

"Doctors, teachers and other health professionals intend to continue their nationwide 48-hour general strike, accompanied by protests in the major cities in Honduras, to demand the repeal of two decrees related to education and health," the alert stated. "Students, other activists, and workers from other economic sectors, e.g., bus and taxi drivers, intend to participate in support of these protests."

Images and video of what appeared to be a fire at the US embassy in the Honduran capital began to appear on social media on Friday afternoon.

It's not entirely clear why the US Embassy was targeted on Friday and the embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from INSIDER. </s> Several hooded demonstrators have set fire to the US Embassy in the capital of Honduras, as massive protests against education and healthcare privatization grip the Central American country.

Footage from the scene in Tegucigalpa showed pillars of thick black smoke rising above the American diplomatic mission, after several tires were set ablaze right in front of the embassy’s doors. The protesters chanted "American trash, American trash" as the entrance burned.

Firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene. Riots against government reforms seeking to privatize health and education services continued in the vicinity. The blaze has practically destroyed the entrance, without causing much damage to the solid concrete structure of the building.

Organizers of Friday’s protests blamed “infiltrators of the government” for the damage to the embassy, AFP reports. No casualties have been reported in the incident at the embassy. Police were also reportedly absent from the vandalism scene and made no arrests.

Ahead of Friday’s protests against the privatization of public services by the government of President Juan Orlando Hernandez, the US embassy issued a security alert instructing the family of American government employees to remain at home and monitor media updates.

While it is not immediately clear why the protesters, led by health and education professionals, decided to target the American embassy, bilateral relation between the US and Honduras has been on the decline recently. After approximately 96,000 Honduran asylum seekers were caught at the US-Mexico border in just four months this year, the US government cut aid to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala as a punishment for their failure to stop the so-called migrant caravans.

The torching of the US embassy came just after Hernandez, an ally of the US government, became the target of the US Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) probe which is examining the president's alleged “large-scale drug-trafficking and money laundering activities” related to cocaine smuggling operations into the United States.

If you like this story, share it with a friend! </s> A demonstrator throws back tear gas canister fired by riot police during a protest against President Juan Orlando Hernandez government's plans to privatize healthcare and education, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras May 31, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Protesters torched the access gate to the U.S. Embassy in the Honduran capital on Friday during a second day of major protests against President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

The protesters set fire to the entrance of the building in downtown ​​Tegucigalpa with about a dozen tires after dousing them with fuel, Reuters witnesses and fire services officials said. A fire department official said there were no damage to the embassy apart from the access gate.

The attack came on the second day of protests over decrees by Hernandez that his critics argue will lead to the privatization of public services.

The demonstrators were pushed toward the embassy after being dispersed from a nearby commercial zone by police nearby, though it was not immediately clear why they attacked the building.

The protesters chanted “American trash, American trash” outside the embassy, which was not being guarded at the time.

A court filing earlier this week showed that Hernandez had been investigated by U.S. authorities as part of a drug trafficking and money laundering probe linked to his brother. The president has not been charged with any crime.

Hernandez has faced stiff opposition in Honduras since he claimed a second term in a highly divisive election at the end of 2017 which was heavily criticized by international observers and which his opponents say he stole.

Hernandez, a conservative ally of the U.S. government, rode out protests against his re-election after he was recognized as the victor by countries including the United States. </s> • The US Embassy in Honduras on Friday was reportedly set on fire by demostrators amid nationwide protests led by doctors and teachers.
• The day before, US Ambassador to Honduras Chargé Heide Fulton issued a statement urging Hondurans against acts of violence.
• The US Embassy had urged family members of US government employees to stay home on Friday due to the demonstrations.
• Images and video of what appeared to be a fire at the US embassy in the Honduran capital began to appear on social media on Friday afternoon.

Demonstrators reportedly set fire to the main entrance of the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Friday.

This came amid nationwide protests from teachers and doctors.

The day before, US Ambassador to Honduras Chargé Heide Fulton issued a statement urging Hondurans against acts of violence.

In a security alert on the embassy’s website, family members of US government employees in the country were instructed to stay home on Friday.

Read more: Trump’s tough border policies are actually helping the human smuggling business, experts say

“Doctors, teachers and other health professionals intend to continue their nationwide 48-hour general strike, accompanied by protests in the major cities in Honduras, to demand the repeal of two decrees related to education and health,” the alert stated. “Students, other activists, and workers from other economic sectors, e.g., bus and taxi drivers, intend to participate in support of these protests.”

Images and video of what appeared to be a fire at the US embassy in the Honduran capital began to appear on social media on Friday afternoon.

It’s not entirely clear why the US Embassy was targeted on Friday and the embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from INSIDER.
Dozens of masked protesters set fire to the U.S. Embassy in downtown Tegucigalpa, amid a second day of mass anti-government protests in Honduras.