Suspect in attempted killing of Mexican journalist arrested in US
Tuesday October 17 2023
Authorities in the United States have arrested the alleged leader of the group that attempted to assassinate one of Mexico's best-known journalists last year, the news presenter said on Monday.
The popular journalist, Ciro Gomez Leyva, is known for his criticism of the government led by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who regularly lambasts him at press conferences.
"Mexican authorities confirm that Armando Escarcega, 'El Patron', the alleged leader of the group that made the attempt on my life, was arrested in California," Gomez Leyva said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The attorney general's office said in a statement that Escarcega was arrested in the US city of Delano, California, and was handed over to a judge for extradition to Mexico.
It did not give details of the motive behind the December 2022 shooting.
Mexico City authorities said in January this year that 11 suspected gang members had been arrested in connection with the attack.
Gomez Leyva, who hosts a morning news program on the Radio Formula network, said on the night of December 15, 2022, two people on a motorcycle shot at him with the intention of killing him while he was traveling in his armored vehicle in Mexico City.
But the journalist was unharmed. He said at the time that his van's armor plating had saved him, and posted images of the bullet impacts on the vehicle.
The attack occurred during one of the deadliest years for reporters in Mexico, with 13 killed in 2022, according to government data.
Mexico is considered one of the world's most dangerous places to work as a journalist, according to the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Since 2000, more than 150 journalists have been murdered in the country, according to an RSF count. Most of these crimes have gone unpunished.