A Mexican congressman who was a member of the ruling coalition was shot dead in the coastal state of Veracruz on Monday, officials said, meaning yet another politician was the target of violence in the country.
“Benito Aguas Atlahua died as a result of injuries caused by an aggression with a firearm,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The body of a man identified as Agustin Linares was also found at the scene of the attack in the municipality of Zongolica, the statement said. Authorities did not say how Linares, who was an engineer, died.
Authorities provided no further information about the circumstances or number of attackers.
A previous report said Aguas Atlahua was taken to hospital in serious condition after the shooting.
The lawmaker was a member of the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM), part of the ruling coalition that controls Congress along with President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Labor Party and Morena.
His PVEM party condemned the attack in a statement on social media.
“We urge the authorities to take appropriate action to ensure this heinous act does not go unpunished. Security and respect must be fundamental pillars in Mexican politics,” the report said.
A tribute posted on Aguas Atlahua’s Facebook page said he was “distinguished for his hard work and tireless dedication to improving the lives of citizens.”
“His legacy of service and his love for his country will remain in the hearts of all who knew and worked with him,” the statement said.
Criminal gangs have been fighting over territory in Veracruz state due to its location along a transit route for drugs and undocumented migrants heading to the United States.
Mexico has suffered more than 450,000 murders since 2006, when the government deployed military forces to fight the cartels.
Politicians, especially at the local level, are common become victims of bloodshed linked to corruption and the multi-billion dollar drug trade.
In October there was a mayor murdered and beheaded in the southern state of Guerrero. The following month there was a former prosecutor and a local police officer arrested in connection with the gruesome murder.
In June a mayor was murdered in southern Mexico, less than a week after another politician was killed in the same region plagued by cartel violence. The murder of Acacio Flores took place days after the murder of Salvador Villalba Floresanother mayor from the state of Guerrero was elected in the June 2 elections.
Also in June, a local councilor was shot as she left her home in Guerrero. Her murder came a few days after the mayor of a city in western Mexico and her bodyguard were murdered killed outside a gymjust hours after Sheinbaum won the presidency.
At least 24 politicians were murdered During a particularly violent electoral process in the run-up to the June elections, the ruling party’s main figure won by a landslide, according to official figures.
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