Mexican authorities arrested a man Tuesday who is accused of being involved in planning and ordering the fatal shooting of the mayor of a Mexican state during a public event earlier this month.
The suspect, identified as Jorge Armando N., was arrested Tuesday afternoon, Mexico’s Public Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said at a news conference.
The man allegedly directed members of a criminal cell through an encrypted messaging app, issuing orders to surveil Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan in the western state of Michoacan, track his movements and carry out the attack, Garcia Harfuch said.
Authorities said that two individuals who were part of this cell, identified as Fernando Josué N. and Ramiro N., were later found dead on a highway on Nov. 10, allegedly to prevent the development of the investigations.
García Harfuch said Wednesday that Armando N. was one of the leaders of a cell of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which was designated by the Trump administration earlier this year as a foreign terrorist organization.
Manzo was killed in an attack in the city center on Nov. 1 during an event marking the Day of the Dead. Mexican authorities previously reported that two others involved in the attack had been arrested, and one of the assailants had died, the national public security agency said.
Manzo took office as mayor in September 2024 and at times joined street security patrols while wearing a bulletproof vest. In a video he posted from a June patrol, he called on the federal government to step up efforts to fight violent crime.
Michoacan state has for years suffered violence from powerful drug cartels operating in the agricultural region, seeking to extort farmers.
Last month, Bernardo Bravo, a leader of lime growers in Michoacan, was killed after repeatedly denouncing in recent months the extortion demands of organized crime on producers.