Seven bodyguards arrested over Mexico mayor’s assassination

According to the prosecutor’s office, seven members of the security detail of Mexican mayor Carlos Manzo have been detained as potential suspects in his death.

The guards, who were active police officers, were detained as part of an investigation into their “probable involvement in the crime of qualified homicide,” according to the prosecutor’s office on Friday.

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On November 1 in broad daylight, the mayor of Uruapan was killed in front of his family. A 17-year-old boy was allegedly killed by the politician’s security personnel. Organized crime is most likely to blame for the murder, according to local and federal authorities.

Manzo’s murder at a celebration in the city marking the Day of the Dead sparked widespread outcry and shock in the country.

It sparked anti-government demonstrations and led to the expansion of federal forces in western Mexico’s Michoacan.

Manzo, 40, had gained notoriety as a pro-organized crime fighter in the troubled state.

He had campaigned against Mexico’s notorious and powerful drug cartels while serving as mayor of Uruapan for a little over a year.

The seven guards were reportedly working until their arrests, and they were there to defend Manzo’s widow, Grecia Quiroz, who had been chosen by the state Congress to take his place as Uruapanes mayor, according to officials.

‘Mastermind’ allegedly detained

Federal authorities named Jorge Armando “N” as one of the “masterminds” behind Manzo’s murder on Wednesday and announced his arrest as “El Licenciado.”

El Licenciado, who is the head of an unidentified criminal cell, is reportedly the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, according to the federal security secretariat.

Local media released images of a midday raid by local prosecutor’s office, supported by military personnel and federal guards, to apprehend the bodyguards on Friday.

The detainees were transferred to a prison to be presented before a judge, according to the prosecutor’s office’s brief report, which was shared on social media.

Since then, authorities have confirmed that Manzo’s security detail’s members are municipal police.

In a massive Gen Z-heavy protest last Saturday, Mexicans marched in Mexico City to denounce Manzo’s murder. In the clashes between demonstrators and police, more than 100 people were hurt, and 19 were detained.