All About Vigilantes

MEXICO / 2 APR 2014

A vigilante leader in Mexico has been accused of ordering the murder of a mayor who opposed having self-defense militias in his town, in a sign that in some areas…

MEXICO / 2 APR 2014

Mexico's federal government special envoy to Michoacan state has said self-defense militias are no longer needed, in the latest development in a dangerous balancing act officials are engaged in with…

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR / 1 APR 2014

Mexico's armed forces have reportedly killed Knights Templar leader Enrique "El Kike" Plancarte in a shootout. His death comes just weeks after the killing of the Knights' main leader Nazario…

MEXICO / 20 MAR 2014

A dissident faction of a vigilante group in Mexico's Guerrero state has allegedly attacked other community police, in a sign this group, like their Michoacan neighbors, is experiencing major cracks…

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR / 17 MAR 2014

The arrest of a top vigilante leader in Michoacan has sparked tensions between the self-defense movement and Mexico's government, and internal disputes and alleged criminal infiltration are causing growing concern over…

EL CHAYO / 11 MAR 2014

The killing by Mexican navy commandos of bizarre Michoacan gangster Nazario "The Craziest One" Moreno will prove a short lived victory for both the government and the "self-defense" militias it…

EL CHAYO / 11 MAR 2014

The death of Knights Templar leader "El Chayo" in Mexico has had little outward effect on the group's leadership structure, though the take down of the group's spiritual guide could…

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR / 25 FEB 2014

Nearly a year after the vigilante movement arose in Michoacan, Mexico, the militias are now suffering divisions over the thorny issue of the integration of former Knights Templar members into…

MEXICO / 18 FEB 2014

Mexico's Pacific coastal state of Guerrero is the site of escalating chaos, a problem partly hidden by the federal government's single-minded focus on the neighboring state of Michoacan.

MEXICO / 13 FEB 2014

The reach of southwestern Mexico's self-defense militias has swelled in recent weeks, but while in some parts of the country they have been aided by federal forces, in others they…

MEXICO / 12 FEB 2014

A meeting between a senior government official and a leading member of Mexico's self-defense militias in Michoacan has put both sides on the defensive after details emerged of the vigilante…

MEXICO / 10 FEB 2014

Mexico's so-called "self-defense" groups have participated in their first major joint operation with state security forces, making numerous arrests in the Michoacan capital of Apatzingan. Some vigilantes were unarmed, others…

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