International

16 arrest warrants issued in Mexico for Ayotzinapa case

Photo: Aristegui Noticias

June 21 |

A Mexican federal court on Wednesday approved to the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) 16 arrest warrants for military personnel linked to the case of the disappearance in 2014 of the 43 students of the Ayotzinapa Rural Normal School that occurred in the city of Iguala, in the southern state of Guerrero.

According to national sources, the Second District Judge in Federal Criminal Proceedings with residence in Toluca, State of Mexico, Raquel Ivette Duarte Cedillo, issued the warrants for the crimes of organized crime and forced disappearance.

The former commander of the 41st Infantry Battalion, Colonel Rafael Hernández Nieto, as well as members of the 27th and 41st Infantry Battalions are included in the warrants.

These arrest warrants had been withdrawn last year by the same Prosecutor’s Office after they were approved against 83 military personnel, which caused the resignation of the previous Specialized Prosecutor for the case, Omar Gómez Trejo.

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At the time it was argued that the soldiers had only been linked to the case for allegedly supporting a group of students who were at Clínica Cristina during the early hours of September 26, 2014.

However, the authorities stated to national media that the current approval of the arrest warrants is based on the same facts for which it was previously decided not to serve them.

For their part, the rest of the soldiers were exonerated due to intelligence and patrol activities following the actions carried out by municipal police of Iguala, Cocula and Huitzuco with the criminal organization Guerreros Unidos.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”