The mayor of a Mexican city has been murdered just days after taking office, officials have said, the latest in a series of atta3ks on politicians in the violence-plagued Latin American country. CNN is reporting.
Alejandro Arcos was sworn in last Monday as mayor of Chilpancingo, a southwestern city which is the capital of Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located.
Local media reports said Mr Arcos had been beheaded. Police have not confirmed any details of his death, but were pictured at a scene in Chilpancingo where the body was reported to have been found. Reuters reported that photos circulating on WhatsApp showed a severed head on top of what appeared to be Arcos’ vehicle, but the news agency could not independently verify the photos’ authenticity.
“His loss mourns the entire Guerrero society and fills us with indignation,” Guerrero governor Evelyn Salgado said in a statement. The state attorney general’s office has said it is investigating Sunday’s murder.
The latest violence came just three days after the new city government’s secretary, Francisco Tapia, was shot to death. Alejandro Moreno, a Mexican senator and the national leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, said: “They had been in office less than a week. They were young and honest public servants who were seeking progress for their community.”
He also called on the federal attorney general’s office to lead the investigation into the murders given “the situation of ungovernability in Guerrero”. At least six candidates for public office were kill3d in Guerrero ahead of elections at the beginning of June.
