Police arrest suspected leader behind Guatemala massacre of 27 people

Police arrest suspected leader behind Guatemala massacre of 27 people

2011-05-25 06:12:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

SAN BENITO, GUATEMALA (BNO NEWS) -- Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom on Tuesday announced the arrest of the main suspect behind the massacre of 27 people in the northern region of the country almost two weeks ago.

Elder Estuardo Morales Pineda, also known as 'el Pelon,' was arrested by Guatemala's National Civil Police in San Benito, Peten, near the Mexican border and near the scene of the massacre. He is being accused of abduction or kidnapping and murder.

"Apparently, this person was leading the group that killed the laborers [in Peten]," Colom stated during a press conference. "The information I have indicates strong technical evidence and signs that [Morales Pineda] directly participated in the killings."

Colom added that the information and evidence should be proven by the Attorney General with the ongoing investigations.

On May 15, around 200 armed men, members of the Z 200 bloc of Mexican drug gang Los Zetas, arrived at Los Cocos farm, which is located in the municipality of Libertad, Peten, and carried out the massacre of 27 people, among them two women.

According to investigative reports, all 27 people - 25 of them decapitated - were allegedly working for Guatemalan drug lord Otto Salguero, 50, who has been unaccounted for since the killings. The assassins killed the laborers as they asked for the whereabouts of Salguero.

During the past two weeks, Guatemalan authorities have arrested some 20 suspected members of Los Zetas in a number of security operations carried out throughout the country. Among the arrested are three Mexican nationals.

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