International
Former official linked to Ayotzinapa case remanded in custody
July 3 |
A Mexican federal judge prosecuted this Sunday for the crimes of torture and forced disappearance Gualberto Ramirez Gutierrez, who served as head of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Specialized Deputy Attorney General’s Office for Organized Crime Investigation (Seido) at the time of the disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa normalistas, in September 2014.
The Criminal Justice Control Judge, Juan José Hernández Leyva, determined that Ramírez Gutiérrez was a co-perpetrator of these crimes to the detriment of Felipe Rodríguez Salgado, identified as an alleged hitman for the Guerreros Unidos criminal organization, which is accused of the disappearance of the 43 students.
In addition, he ratified his preventive detention, considering that there is a risk of flight and that Ramirez Gutierrez Gutierrez intimidates an official of the Seido who testified against him. On the other hand, the judge gave a term of six months for the complementary investigation of the charges against him.
Ramírez Gutiérrez was arrested last June 26 and shares the accusation with the former Attorney General, Jesús Murillo Karam (arrested) and with the former head of the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC) of the then Attorney General’s Office, Tomás Zerón (Mexico is trying to extradite him from Israel, where he fled).
In addition to committing acts of torture, the judge considered that Ramírez Gutiérrez participated in illegal interrogations of Rodríguez Salgado in an illegal detention center operated by Tomás Zerón, who was based in the AIC facilities in the Lomas Sotelo neighborhood in the Mexican capital.
Amidst torture and beatings, Rodríguez Salgado was threatened with death there if he did not confess to having participated in the kidnapping and disappearance of the Ayotzinapa students. He remained in prison for four years and was finally acquitted of the charges.
After intense investigations, it has been determined that Ramírez Gutiérrez, Murillo Karam and Tomás Zerón participated in a meeting on October 7, 2014, in which they shaped the so-called “historical truth” of the Ayotzinapa case, according to which all the normalistas were incinerated in the landfill of Cocula, Guerrero state.
Subsequent investigations indicate that they lied to hide the truth from Mexican society and prevent justice from being done in a clear case of State terrorism, committed during the six-year term of office of former President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018).
In this regard, the Undersecretary of Human Rights, Population and Migration, Alejandro Encinas, valued that the arrest of Ramírez Gutiérrez represents an important step towards truth and justice.
International
Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in central Vietnam has risen to 28, with six people reported missing and 43 injured, local newspaper VnExpress reported Friday night.
More than 22,100 homes remain flooded, primarily in the cities of Hue and Da Nang. Floods and landslides have destroyed or swept away 91 houses and damaged another 181, the report added.
Around 245,000 households are still without electricity, particularly in Da Nang, where over 225,000 homes are affected.
Additionally, 80 stretches of national highways are blocked or disrupted due to landslides. Authorities expect the flooding to continue for another day or two in the region.
International
FBI foils ISIS-Inspired attack in Michigan, arrests five teens
Kash Patel did not provide further details, but police sources told CBS News that the potential attack was “inspired” by the Islamic State (ISIS).
“This morning, the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested several individuals in Michigan who were allegedly planning a violent attack during the Halloween weekend,” Patel wrote on X.
“Thanks to swift action and close coordination with our local partners, a possible terrorist act was prevented before it could be carried out,” he added.
CBS reported that five people between the ages of 16 and 20 were arrested on Friday. At least one of them was reportedly acquainted with a former member of the Michigan National Guard, who was arrested in May for plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on a U.S. military facility in the Detroit suburbs.
International
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed concerns over China’s growing military activity near Taiwan during a meeting on Friday with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Kuala Lumpur.
“It was a constructive and positive meeting,” Hegseth wrote on X. “I emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and raised U.S. concerns about China’s actions around Taiwan,” the self-governed island that Beijing claims and does not rule out invading.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea. According to Trump, Taiwan was not discussed during their talks.
“The United States does not seek conflict and will continue to firmly defend its interests, ensuring it maintains the capability to do so in the region,” Hegseth added in his message.
Friday’s encounter followed a September 9 video call between Hegseth and Dong. Their previously planned meeting at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore was canceled due to Dong’s absence from the event.
Trump’s sit-down with Xi — their first since 2019 — resulted in some trade agreements but avoided addressing the issue of Taiwan, a long-standing source of tension between the world’s two largest powers.
Trump has taken a more ambiguous stance on Taiwan’s future compared with former President Joe Biden, who repeatedly stated that Washington would support Taipei if China launched an invasion. The Republican president has also criticized Taiwan for “stealing” the U.S. semiconductor industry.
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