Mexican gang leader accused in case of missing students 'has killed himself'
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 15 October, 2014, 5:12am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 15 October, 2014, 5:12am
Agence France-Presse in Mexico City
Raul Isidro Burgos students stand in front of riot police as they demand the government find their missing classmates. Photo: Reuters
The leader of a Mexican gang accused of involvement in the disappearance of 43 students has apparently killed himself.
The man, who heads the Guerreros Unidos gang, died yesterday during a police operation in central Mexico, a security spokesman said.
The National Security Commission spokesman said Benjamin Mondragon killed himself rather than surrendering in the state of Morelos, but Mexican media said he was killed by police in Jiutepec, 100km south of Mexico City.
The police spokesman did not know if Mondragon, known as "El Benjamon" was involved in the case of the missing students in the southern state of Guerrero, where his gang is based.
Authorities say Mondragon's gang worked hand-in-hand with corrupt municipal officers in a night of violence in the city of Iguala on September 26 that left six people dead and the 43 aspiring teachers missing. Witnesses saw several students being taken away in patrol cars.
Nine clandestine graves with at least 28 bodies have been found on the outskirts of Iguala since then, raising fears that the students were executed.
The case has drawn international condemnation and sparked national protests.
Students from the missing group's teacher training college torched part of the Guerrero state government building on Monday. Protesters vowed to "radicalise" their movement if officials failed to provide information about the missing students.
