By Jorge Antonio Rocha
MEXICO CITY (AA) - The Colombian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that 11 Colombian nationals allegedly involved in an explosion that killed eight Mexican soldiers last week have ties to the Colombian armed forces.
Eight officers from Mexico’s National Guard were killed last week in western Mexico after stepping on a “narco landmine” -- a homemade explosive used by drug cartels to protect their territories from authorities and rival groups.
Authorities arrested 17 suspects on May 28 in connection with the explosion in Michoacan, including 11 Colombian nationals.
The Colombian Foreign Ministry confirmed the nationality of the 11 suspects and said it would provide legal counsel.
It said Foreign Minister Alfredo Molano disclosed the details to a news outlet.
“During the Foreign Ministry's El Puente program, Consul Alfredo Molano confirmed that 11 of the 12 Colombians detained in Mexico are ex-military. He explained that these nationals will receive proper consular attention to ensure their rights are respected during the legal process, including procedural guarantees, fair trials, humanitarian support, contact with their families, and monitoring of their health while they are accompanied through this situation," it wrote on X.
The ministry emphasized that the vast majority of Colombians travel to Mexico as tourists or belong to a prominent academic and scientific community that contributes to the country’s cultural, social, and economic richness.
Authorities revealed that the explosion and the suspects are connected to a relatively small criminal group known as the Cartel de Los Reyes, an organization that emerged from local self-defense forces and is currently vying for territorial control in the region.