Thirteen members of Mexico’s security service were taken hostage Monday in Guerrero state (south) during a demonstration involving several hundred people which authorities say was organized by criminal groups.
“If you extend the deprivation of liberty of these people (…), then we are no longer talking about a peaceful social movement and have to pursue a different strategy,” said Ludwig Reynoso, secretary of the state government, during a press conference.
The 13 hostages — five police officers, four National Guardsmen, three local officers and one federal agent — were among 300 people deployed to contain protesters who were on the Mexico City-Acapulco highway near Chilpancingo, the state capital Guerrero, marched.
Armed with stones and sticks, about 3,000 demonstrators forced the authorities to give in, said Guerrero State Security Minister Evelio Méndez.
At that time, the crowd wounded and captured the hostages and also seized an armored truck, which was then used to break down one of the doors of the government palace, the police officer added.
According to the march’s organizers, the protesters were protesting the government’s inability to carry out road works for three communities, a version disputed by the authorities due to their “aggressive” attitude.
The protest comes after the arrest last week of two suspected members of the Los Ardillos criminal group, one of the gangs operating in Guerrero state.
According to Reynoso, “relatives” of detainees and “armed persons” who fired on armored police vehicles joined the protest.
“Real social mobilization doesn’t happen that way… There are signs that this protest has a different profile,” he said.
For years, the state of Guerrero has been rocked by the activities of several criminal groups dedicated to drug trafficking, but also to extortion and kidnapping.