Rape a setback for Brazil’s reputation among tourists

A late-night outing turned into a six-hour nightmare after an American was gang-raped aboard a public transit van in an incident that has shocked the city as it gears up to host 2014’s World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

The police response to the attack was swift: The three alleged perpetrators have been taken into custody, and investigators are combing databases to determine whether they might have been behind other crimes.

Many still ask whether Rio authorities, who have succeeded in cracking down on much of the city’s drug violence, are up to protecting the waves of tourists expected to flood the city during upcoming events. Some 2m people are expected to flock to the city in July for World Youth Day.