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Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Haunting video shows how close mayor's aides came to being killed... and the chilling reason they were spared
A never-before-seen video showed an assassin waiting for the arrival of two top aides to Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada before abandoning the scene only to return a week later to execute them in broad daylight. The coldblooded gunman was spotted the morning of May 14 standing on a busy sidewalk in the Mexico City neighborhood of Benito Juarez waiting for Brugada's secretary, Ximena Guzmán, to arrive to pick José Muñoz, the mayor's advisor. Footage obtained by Telediario television crime reporter Carlos Jiménez showed the hired killer with a motorcycle helmet over his head that exposed his face near the steps of an underground passage between Napoleón Street and Calzada de Tlalpan. The executioner, who was wearing light blue jeans and had a green vest with reflectors, appeared to have been making a call with his cell phone and then sending a text message. He later leaned against the wall of a building as he continued to wait for Guzmán to pull up to meet Muñoz. For unknown reasons, Guzmán and Muñoz never arrived at the meeting point, causing the killer to abandoned the task, sparing the duo for the time being. The same gunman returned Tuesday shortly after 7am local time and approached Guzmán, who was sitting inside her stationed Audi, and waited for Muñoz to walk up to open the front passenger door when he opened fire. Guzmán was shot eight times and Muñoz was struck four times, according to Mexico City prosecutor Bertha Alcalde. Authorities have so far seized the abandoned motorcycle, a car and a van that were used to carry out the attack. The car and van were previously reported stolen. Pablo Vázquez, who oversees Mexico City's Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection, said in a press conference Wednesday that at least four people participated in the brazen attack. Alcalde described the deadly ambush as 'a direct and highly planned attack, and that those who carried it out had prior experience.' Both Guzmán and Muñoz had worked for Brugada when she was mayor of the borough of Iztapalapa from October 2018 to September 2023, before joining her staff when she became mayor of Mexico's largest city. ASÍ CAZABA a XIMENA y a JOSÉ Es el sicario q los atacó a balazos. Así los esperó el 14 de mayo. A la misma hora y en el mismo lugar. Ximena llegó, pero José no… y el sicario se fue. Nadie lo notó. Ahora lo buscan @FiscaliaCDMX @SSC_CDMX y @SSPCMexico Les cuento #C4EnAlerta — Carlos Jiménez (@c4jimenez) May 22, 2025 'I am deeply saddened by the loss of Ximena and Pepe. I shared many years of longing and struggle with them to transform, first Iztapalapa, and now our great city,' Brugada said in a statement. 'Ximena was a wonderful, tireless, and very kind woman. I knew Pepe almost from childhood; he was one of the most intelligent and responsible people I have ever known. 'Our hearts ache. We in the cabinet are deeply dismayed and in mourning. I wholeheartedly embrace their families, friends, and comrades in struggle. 'We will not rest until justice is done.' Mexican journalist and Telediario host Carlos Jiménez obtained a surveillance video that showed the assassin wanted for murdering Ximena Guzmán and José Muñoz, officials in the administration of Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada, waiting for the pair the morning of May 14 before he noticed they were not going to arrive and abandoned the scene only to return Tuesday and execute them The murders sent shockwaves through Mexico's capital city, which is widely considered as an oasis of relative security in a country plagued by violence. Brugada's position as mayor makes her the second most powerful politician in the country behind President Claudia Sheinbaum, who previously served as Head of Government for Mexico City. During a press briefing Wednesday, Sheinbaum cautioned against speculating over the assassinations. 'No speculation can be made about yesterday's events,' she said. 'We are guided by the ongoing investigations into what happened [Tuesday].'
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Assassin caught on video in deadly ambush of top Mexican government officials
Surveillance video captured the horrifying moment an assassin opened fire and executed two top aides to Mexico City's mayor on a busy street in broad daylight on Tuesday. The footage showed the suspect approaching the vehicle of Ximena Guzmán, Mayor Clara Brugada's secretary, while she waited to pick up Brugada's adviser José Muñoz in the Mexican capital. The assailant, shown wearing a motorcycle helmet, waited for Muñoz to enter the vehicle when he opened fired. The shooter fired several times through the windshield, striking Guzmán, before turning the gun on Muñoz. The vehicle began to lurch forward before the gunman moved out of the way and fired several more shots through the driver's window, video showed. The suspect then shot at the car's tires before fleeing down the busy thoroughfare in the borough of Benito Juarez. Both Guzmán and Muñoz had worked for Brugada when she was mayor of the borough of Iztapalapa from October 2018 to September 2023, before joining her staff when she became mayor of Mexico's largest city. 'I am deeply saddened by the loss of Ximena and Pepe. I shared many years of longing and struggle with them to transform, first Iztapalapa, and now our great city,' Brugada said in a statement. 'Ximena was a wonderful, tireless, and very kind woman. I knew Pepe almost from childhood; he was one of the most intelligent and responsible people I have ever known. 'Our hearts ache. We in the cabinet are deeply dismayed and in mourning. I wholeheartedly embrace their families, friends, and comrades in struggle. 'We will not rest until justice is done.' The murders sent shockwaves through Mexico's capital, widely regarded as an oasis of relative security in a country plagued by violence. Brugada's position as mayor makes her the second most powerful politician in the country behind President Claudia Sheinbaum, who previously served as Head of Government for Mexico City. During a press briefing Wednesday, Sheinbaum cautioned against speculating over the assassinations. 'No speculation can be made about yesterday's events,' she said. 'We are guided by the ongoing investigations into what happened yesterday.' Political violence has become common in many parts of Mexico, where scores of local political candidates have been assassinated in killings often linked to drug cartels seeking to exert influence. While federal and local authorities have yet to provide a motive for the attack, security experts say it appeared to be a hit carried out by members of organized crime. Mexico City's Ministry of Public Security recovered a motorcycle that was abandoned by suspects near the attack site and also found a vehicle that was left behind in the neighborhood of Iztacalco. Authorities have been searching for a van that may have been used by the suspects. David Saucedo, a public security specialist, told the Associated Press that the attacks were a warning for Brugada. 'It was a harsh message sent to Clara [Brugada], undoubtedly perpetrated by drug traffickers,' Saucedo said. The assassinations come almost five years after Mexico City police chief Omar Garcia Harfuch, now Mexico's Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection, was wounded in an assassination attempt that left of his bodyguards and a mother-of-two dead. To carry out the June 26, 2020 attack, an arms trafficker told Mexican newspaper El Universal that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel paid $22,800 for a cache of weapons that included 20 AR-15 rifles and three Barret sniper rifles.
Bloomberg
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Mexico City Mayor's Aides Shot Dead by Attackers on Motorbikes
Two close aides of Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada were shot dead by assailants on motorbikes, President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters. Brugada's private secretary Ximena Guzman and adviser Jose Munoz were shot at an intersection in the borough of Benito Juaraz in Mexico City, Sheinbaum said on Tuesday, reading from a statement after interrupting her news conference.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
History of Cinco de Mayo and what to know before the celebration
( — Cinco de Mayo is a popular Mexican holiday, with celebrations throughout the United States and Mexico. Video Above: 5 things to know about Cinco de Mayo Often confused for Mexican Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo instead marks the 1862 victory of the Mexican Army over the French Army. As many grab their sombreros and prepare to take shots of tequila, it is important to take a moment and learn about the significance of Cinco de Mayo and what it means before the celebrations commence. Then-newly elected Mexican President and member of the Zapotec tribe, Benito Juarez, was forced to default on debt payments to European governments due to financial ruin in 1861, according to Naval forces from France, Britain and Spain were sent to Veracruz, Mexico. While Mexico was able to negotiate with Spain and Britain, resulting in the withdrawal of their forces, France grasped the opportunity to take Mexican territory. While France sent out 6,000 French troops to attack Puebla de Los Angeles in Mexico, Jaurez was able to gather around 2,000 men to defend the territory, sources said. Nearly 500 French soldiers died and fewer than 100 Mexican soldiers were killed in the May 5, 1862, battle that lasted from daybreak to early evening. Political pressure from the United States and military support encouraged France to withdraw from Mexico in 1867 after the Civil War. Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, David Hayes-Bautista, published a book in 2012 titled 'El Cinco de Mayo: An American Tradition,' which illustrates the history of the Mexican holiday. During a conversation with FOX40, Hayes-Bautista highlighted the connection between the celebration of the holiday and the United States, stating that as Latinos in California watched the fight for rights during the Civil War, they found pride in their community gaining victory over the French. 'So once Latinos heard [of the victory of Cinco de Mayo], they immediately, spontaneously piled out into the streets of California, Nevada and Oregon to celebrate this great victory and let the world know where they stood on the issues of the American Civil War and the French intervention,' said Hayes-Bautista. 'That they opposed slavery, they supported freedom, they opposed white supremacy, they supported racial equality, they opposed elitist plantation rule, they supported government of the people, by the people and for the people.' The professor then said that the holiday has been celebrated in the United States since then. The Jackson County Library Services also states that the holiday was significant for activists who participated in the Chicano Movement in the 1950s and 1970s, as it was found to be a powerful symbol of Mexican resistance and power. One of the most common misconceptions about Cinco de Mayo is that it is the Independence Day for Mexico, according to multiple sources, including Professor Hayes-Bautista. While May 5 represents the victory the Mexican army had over the French Army, September 16 is the true Mexican Independence Day, as many celebrate the nation's freedom from Spanish rule, stated. Meanwhile, Hayes-Bautista highlighted another difference between the two commemorations. '…After California became part of the U.S, the Mexican Consulate ran [Mexican] Independence Day and they do to this day,' Said Hayes-Bautista. 'Cinco de Mayo does not belong to the Mexican Consulate. It has been since the very first, kind of a people's holiday. Nobody owned it. So you can do whatever you want.' Establishing that Cinco de Mayo could be considered a holiday represented by Mexican-Americans and Chicanos throughout the U.S., Hayes-Bautista also mentioned that past celebrations included the combination of the U.S and Mexican military hymns and flags. Celebrations in Mexico are somewhat similar to those in the United States, as many like to attend events including parades, lucha libre matches and eat traditional Mexican dishes, according to Britannica. Some of these events feature mariachi bands, dancers in traditional Mexican clothing and floats decorated with red, white and green, the colors of the Mexican flag. Meanwhile, some specialty meals most commonly eaten are tacos, guacamole, churros and Puebla's well-known dish, mole poblano. According to May 5 in Mexico is not considered a federal holiday; therefore, offices, banks and stores remain open. As communities throughout the nation celebrate the Mexican holiday, Professor Hayes-Bautista left a reminder for those who plan to participate. 'Unfortunately, over about the past 40 or so years, Cinco de Mayo has devolved into Drinko de Mayo, which is the time to go get drunk,' said Hayes-Bautista. 'I'd like people to remember, okay, we're going to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but remember it has to do about human rights in its very beginning; about freedom versus slavery, equality versus white supremacy. Just remember that and let's go ahead and have a party.' El Cinco de Mayo: An American Tradition by David Hayes-Bautista can be found on the University of California Press website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
May Day demonstration in New Orleans covers lots of ground
Participants in a Union Migrante May Day protest march up Basin Street toward New Orleans City Hall on May 1, 2025. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator) There was no shortage of issues for the hundreds of participants who gathered on the Basin Street neutral ground in downtown New Orleans for a May Day protest, one of several taking part across the country. Union Migrante, an immigrant advocacy group, organized the event that started with several speeches, delivered in the shadow of a monument to Benito Juarez, the first indigenous president of Mexico. The rally concluded with participants marching to and from City Hall. President Donald Trump and his push for mass deportations were a focal point of the event, which also included pro-Palestinian speakers and members of a newly formed nurses union at University Medical Center. Earlier in the day, the nurses went on strike to demand better pay and working conditions from UMC's management organization, LCMC Health. In addition to Trump, speakers took and at billionaire Elon Musk, an unofficial adviser to the president who's led the call for drastic federal government job cuts. Gov. Jeff Landry was also called out for his alignment with Trump. Participants in the Union Migrante May Day rally prepare to march down Basin Street in downtown New Orleans on May 1, 2025. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator) Hakem Murad with the Palestinian Youth Movement addresses participants in the Union Migrante May Day event in downtown New Orleans on May, 1, 2025. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator) Terry Mogilles, a registered nurse at University Medical Center, speaks to the crowd at Union Migrante May Day event in downtown New Orleans on May 1, 2025. Earlier in the day, Mogilles and other nurses at UMC went on strike, demanding better pay and work conditions from LCMC Health, which manages the hospital. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator) Marchers walk up Basin Street in downtown New Orleans as part of Union Migrante's May Day event on May 1, 2025. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator) Union Migrantes held a May Day event in downtown New Orleans, with the statue of Benito Juarez, the first indigenous president of Mexico, as a backdrop. Alfredo Salazar Simon speaks while his partner, Rachel Taber, translates. Before he became an American citizen, Simon lived undocumented in the U.S. for 30 years. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator) Participants in a Union Migrante May Day protest march up Basin Street toward New Orleans City Hall on May 1, 2025. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator) A speaker addresses the crowd at a Union Migrante protest May 1, 2025, in downtown New Orleans. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)
