Alleged perpetrators arrested in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico | News

The Secretariat of National Defense of Mexico (Sedena) reported this Saturday that 16 soldiers allegedly involved in an extrajudicial execution of civilians were arrested, an event that occurred on May 18 in the city of Nuevo Laredo (northeast).

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Through a statement, the portfolio announced that after their arrest, on June 9, the uniformed men were linked to the process and a military judge imposed the precautionary measure of preventive detention on them.

He added that they will comply with this measure "in the Military Prison of the First Military Region, located inside Military Camp Number 1-A, Mexico City."

Currently, the detainees are at the disposal of the first control judge of the First Military Region, who issued the arrest warrants for "crimes contrary to military discipline."

The text detailed that the arrest warrants were carried out with full respect for due process and the human rights of the accused.

According to the Sedena, the arrests are the result of an investigation that began on June 7 and is independent of another, carried out by the Attorney General's Office, in order to identify the corresponding responsibilities in the federal order.

On June 7, a video of the investigated events was released through social networks, which shows a black van that crashed into a wall and was immediately surrounded by a dozen soldiers with long weapons.

Subsequently, the uniformed men take their weapons from the passengers in the vehicle, beat them and place them against the wall. According to the images, shortly after the soldiers were attacked with bullets (although their attackers were not seen) and at the same time they shot at the civilians, placing weapons next to their corpses and modifying the scene.

After confirming the recording, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador assured that the authorities are investigating the event.

“When there is an abuse, an excess, when human rights are violated, those responsible must be punished,” said the head of state, who ratified: “There is no cover-up. We do not tolerate the violation of human rights”.