4 mayors in Mexico ask for protection after another was beheaded

Updated 3:19 PM CDT, October 8, 2024

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Four mayors in Mexico have asked federal authorities for protection after a colleague was beheaded last week in the southern state of Guerrero, officials said Tuesday. Mayor Alejandro Arcos had been sworn into office less than a week before.

Federal Public Safety Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch said four mayors requested protection on Monday, a day after Arcos’ remains were found. The requests came from Guerrero and another violence-plagued state, Guanajuato.

The situation in Guanajuato is so bad that ahead of the country’s June elections, at least four mayoral candidates were killed.

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Gangs and drug cartels in Mexico frequently target mayors to press demands for extortion payments, government contracts and the appointment of henchmen to municipal police forces.

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https://apnews.com/article/mexico-mayor-beheading-cartel-violence-guerrero-3943b84642653cbd0e949720ec3a7eb9