Seven officers are being interrogated over their suspected involvement in the murder of the director of public security in a suburb of Monterrey, north Mexico.
German Perez was shot dead in his office in Santa Catarina on June 27, by a group of 10 men carrying assault rifles who stormed the police station.
According to government security spokesperson, Jorge Domene, officers inside the building did nothing to prevent the killing, and the gunmen managed to escape without confrontation. Two of the officers were German Perez’s bodyguards.
Authorities suspect that the killing could be linked to the recent dismissal of 30 police officers who failed “trust control" tests.
The tests are an initiative of President Felipe Calderon’s administration, in an effort to fight corruption in the security forces. Since 2006 at least a tenth of federal police personnel have been fired for failing such exams, which include lie detector and toxicology tests.
The Federal Police have not excluded the possibility that the police chief was another casualty of conflict between drug cartels in the region. Nuevo Leon has been the stage for a clash for territory between the Gulf Cartel and Zetas in recent months.
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