Four mayors in Mexico plead for protection after another was beheaded

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Four mayors in Mexico have asked federal authorities for protection after a colleague was beheaded last week in the southern state of Guerrero, officials said Tuesday.

Mayor Alejandro Arcos had been sworn into office less than a week earlier.

Federal Public Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said four mayors requested protection on Monday, a day after Arcos' remains were discovered. The requests came from Guerrero and another violence-plagued state, Guanajuato.

The situation in Guanajuato is so dire that at least four mayoral candidates were killed ahead of the country's June elections.

Garcia Harfuch did not say why the mayors asked for protection. He also did not provide any details about the investigation into Arcos' murder, saying only that the mayor left his staff behind to attend a private meeting shortly before his death.

Arcos had told local media that he needed more protection, but Garcia Harfuch said no formal request had been received. State and federal governments can offer mayors bulletproof vehicles, additional bodyguards and emergency warning systems.

The state capital Chilpancingo is dominated by two warring drug gangs, the Ardillos and the Tlacos. One staged a demonstration with hundreds of people, hijacked a government armored car, blocked a major road and took the police hostage in 2023 to secure the release of arrested suspects.

Gangs and drug cartels in Mexico often target mayors to enforce demands for extortion payments, government contracts and the appointment of henchmen to municipal police forces.

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