4 mayors in Mexico ask for protection after another was beheaded

MEXICO CITY — 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 before.

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

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

Garcia Harfuch did not say why the mayors asked for protection. He also didn't give much detail on the investigations into Arcos' killing, saying only that the mayor had left his staff behind to attend a private meeting just before his death.

Arcos had told local media 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 alert systems.

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

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