Saturday 13 October 2012

Policemen killed, missing in Mexico

Gunmen fired on a police patrol late on 12 October, killing a policeman and injuring another in the northern city of Torreón, while two suspected criminals and a policeman were killed in a shootout in Los Mochis in the north-western state of Sinaloa, Proceso reported. Six policemen were reported missing on 12 October in Saltillo in the northern state of Coahuila, amid suspicions they may have been kidnapped. Their wives initially reported their absence; local authorities later confirmed they had not gone to work without stating why, Proceso reported. Authorities also arrested on 12 October six members of the gang Caballeros Templarios, suspected of forming an "operational" cell in Celaya and Apaseo el Alto in the central state of Guanajuato, the state's chief prosecutor Carlos Zamarripa Aguirre stated. The detained, including a local police official, were suspected of involvement in extortion, drug trafficking and perhaps murders, Proceso reported. Authorities confiscated 25 cars thought to belong to the group.