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Guatemala City (AFP)

Police in Guatemala arrested a ruling party lawmaker Saturday for involvement in plotting a 2015 killing of journalists.

Julio Juarez, of the FCN-Nacion party, was arrested near his home in San Bernardino, Suchitepequez, south of the capital.

He is suspected of having masterminded the killings, a spokeswoman for prosecutors said.

In December, the 37-year-old lawmaker made a US list of alleged human rights abusers and people engaging in corruption around the world.

The two killings took place March 10, 2015 in Mazatenango.

Prosecutors with a UN agency already had linked him to the crime last year.

"I have not done anything. And all this will be cleared up," Juarez told local media.

About 6,000 people are killed each year in Guatemala, with about half the crimes linked to drug trafficking and gangs.

© 2018 AFP