Arrest of Chilpancingo’s Security Chief in Mayor’s Assassination
The newly elected mayor of Chilpancingo, Mexico, Alejandro Arcos Catalán, had appointed Germán Reyes as the man entrusted with the critical responsibility of safeguarding his city. However, in a shocking turn of events, Mexican authorities apprehended Mr. Reyes on Tuesday, a retired military officer and former prosecutor, alleging that he orchestrated the mayor’s brutal assassination just weeks after he took office.
Arcos Catalán, who was only 43 years old at the time of his disappearance, had assumed his role in Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero state, but vanished less than a week into his term. Tragically, on October 6, his decapitated head was discovered resting atop a white pickup truck, while the remainder of his body was found in the front seat of the vehicle—a grim discovery that has sent shockwaves throughout the nation.
State prosecutors revealed on Tuesday the arrest of Mr. Reyes, now 46, who had been serving as the city’s security chief. He faces a charge of aggravated homicide, with allegations that he collaborated with a local criminal organization to abduct and murder the newly elected mayor. This incident has raised serious concerns about the integrity of local government and the pervasive influence of organized crime within municipal security operations.
“The fact that the government, particularly at the municipal level, may be under the influence of external criminal elements to sway public security decisions is a clear indication that the rule of law is in jeopardy,” stated José Filiberto Velázquez, a local minister and director of the Minerva Bello human rights group in Guerrero, a state notorious for its poverty and rampant violence.
During a brief recess in court on Tuesday, Mr. Reyes vehemently denied the allegations, labeling the charges as “absurd.” He recounted that Arcos Catalán had interviewed him for the position of public security minister in late September, ultimately appointing him just one day later—a turn of events that now seems tragically ironic.
