Authorities arrest 7 bodyguards in connection with a Mexican mayor’s assassination
URUAPAN, Mexico (AP) — Authorities on Friday arrested seven guards suspected of involvement. conspiratorial A popular mayor they had to protect in west-central Mexico earlier this month.
The Associated Press saw at least five of the suspects arrested by state and federal authorities in Uruapan on Friday, steps away from where Mayor Carlos Manzo was killed during Day of the Dead celebrations on Nov. 1.
Later, the Michoacan state prosecutor’s office made a brief statement saying that seven public officials, whose identities it did not disclose, were arrested for their “possible participation in aggravated murder.”
An official familiar with the operation said all seven men were Manzo’s bodyguards. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Soldiers, National Guard troops and government agents removed the suspects from the city building next to the central square where a young gunman shot Manzo on Friday. Attention immediately turned to Manzo’s large security team, which failed to stop the lone gunman, and suspicions were raised when it was revealed that the gunman was shot dead after being tackled to the ground by the security team.
On Wednesday, Mexican officials announced arrest of a man They said they were interested in planning and ordering kill. They tied the conspiracy to the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the organized crime groups operating in Michoacan.
Following Manzo’s murder, his wife was sworn in as mayor of Uruapan.
On Friday, Manzo’s (and now his wife’s) team recorded the arrests; some cried as they watched their colleagues being taken away. Two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared for their safety, said that among those arrested were people from Manzo’s close circle.
Uruapan’s central square is still filled with candles in memory of the slain politician who was outspoken against the control of organized crime. Notes still hang in the square expressing regret over Manzo’s murder and asking for justice.
The mayor’s killing has put new pressure on Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum to adjust her security strategy. He announced days later Plan MichoacanThis included maintaining 10,000 soldiers dispersed throughout the province to seize control of the various criminal organizations operating there, despite heavy spending on social programs.
