Mexico’s acting federal police chief was shot dead early on Thursday outside his home — a brazen attack as drug traffickers increasingly lash back at a nationwide crackdown on organized crime.
Edgar Millan Gomez was shot 10 times after opening the door to his Mexico City apartment complex, where at least one gunman was waiting for him before dawn, the Public Safety Department said. Two bodyguards were also wounded. Millan died hours later at a hospital.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s government said Millan had played a vital role in the country’s fight against organized crime and denounced “this cowardly killing of an exemplary official.”
Millan, 41, was named acting chief of the federal police on March 1 after his superior was promoted to a deputy Cabinet position, said a police official who was not authorized to give his name.
Police were investigating and had not yet determined a motive for the pre-dawn attack, the official said. One suspect with a record of car theft was arrested.
US Ambassador Tony Garza sent his condolences to Millan’s family.
“Mexico has lost another hero,” Garza said in a statement on Thursday. “Another death, which brings outrage to all who admire and respect the thousands of selfless officials who dedicate their lives to the betterment of their country.”
Garza urged US lawmakers to approve the Merida Initiative, a US$500 million proposal that would help fight drug crime in Mexico. He called the package “critical” to “our joint fight against these criminals.”
Mexico has suffered a wave of organized crime and drug-related violence, in which more than 2,500 people died last year alone.
Since taking office in 2006, Calderon has sent more than 24,000 soldiers to drug hotspots. Millan was in charge of coordinating operations between the federal police and those troops.
Cartels have responded fiercely to the nationwide offensive, killing soldiers and federal police in unprecedented attacks. Until recently, most of those killings took place in northern Mexico, where drug gangs rule large areas. Now, criminals appear to be getting more brash with slayings in the capital.
George Grayson, a Mexico expert at the College of William & Mary in Virginia, said Millan’s death “shows the increasing audacity of the cartels.”
“This happened in Mexico City where people like Millan tend to be quite cautious, often sleeping in different houses on different nights, and who have their own security patrols,” he said. “When you can get someone like this, no one is safe.”
Millan was the second top Mexican police official killed in less than a week in Mexico City, following the May 2 killing of a federal police intelligence analyst in an apparent armed robbery attempt outside his home.
In January, police in Mexico City arrested three men with assault rifles and grenade launchers who were allegedly planning to assassinate Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, a top prosecutor who oversees the extradition of drug traffickers.
Millan had been involved in solving a number of high-profile kidnappings.
In 2000, he helped to capture one of Mexico’s most feared kidnappers, Andres Caletri, and to disband two notorious abduction rings. In 2001, he was named head of anti-kidnapping operations for the Federal Agency of Investigation, Mexico’s version of the FBI.
Under his direction, agents captured five suspects involved in the abduction of Ruben Omar Romano, the coach of Mexico’s Cruz Azul soccer team in 2005.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
A Soviet-era spacecraft plunged to Earth on Saturday, more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus. Its uncontrolled entry was confirmed by both the Russian Space Agency and EU Space Surveillance and Tracking. The Russians indicated it came down over the Indian Ocean, but some experts were not so sure of the precise location. The European Space Agency’s space debris office also tracked the spacecraft’s doom after it failed to appear over a German radar station. It was not immediately known how much, if any, of the half-tonne spacecraft survived the fiery descent from orbit. Experts said ahead of time
RSS