Morelia, the beautiful colonial state capitol of Michoacan, was the scene of intense security as the under-17 FIFA World Cup Group tournament began this Saturday, with a Mexican 3-1 victory over North Korea with President Calderon attending.
Morelia, one of seven cities hosting group tournaments in Mexco, is the site for Group A play between the national teams of Mexico, the Netherlands, Congo and North Korea.
The sports spectacle is playing out in an atmosphere of insecurity with the threats of violence announced by los Caballeros Templarios in Friday morning’s narcobanners becoming a reality.
Early Saturday morning, hours before the inaugural game, the bodies of nine execution victims were discovered in three separate locations in the coastal municipality of Lazaro Cardenas. Three victims were found in each location.
All nine victims were bound and blindfolded, showed signs of torture and were killed by gunshot wounds to the head. Some of the victims had messages staked to their bodies and signed by los Caballeros Templarios that read “this will happen to everyone that supports El Chango”.
One of the victims with a message was reportedly found alive but died of his injuries in an unnamed hospital.
Saturday evening Patzcuaro was the scene of a shootout between gunmen and Federal Police that left at least eight vehicles burning in blockades and mayhem as public transport passengers and motorists were robbed and attacked, although no fatalities were reported.
Federal Police reported the capture of eight criminals in the Patzcuaro area and the seizure of several weapons. According to Federal Police the incidents began when a police convoy ran into a convoy of gunmen on the Patzcuaro-Tzurumutaro turnoff.
Fourteen execution victims were reported Sunday morning in the Cuenca Lerma-Chapala region of Michoacan.
Four bodies executed with a gunshots to the head were found in the early morning hours of Sunday in the municipality of Sahuayo.
A message signed by los Caballeros Templarios-Guardia Michoacan was left at the site that said the men were executed for “supporting Chango Mendez and Los Zetas” and that “all thieves, extorionists and rapists will be next”.
At 7:30 in the morning two more execution victims were discovered in the municipality of Cojumatlan de Regules and two others were reported in the municipality if Jiquilpan.
The municipalities of Villamar and Brisenas reported one execution each. Like the victims in Sahuayo, all these victims were executed with a gunshot to the head.
Late Sunday morning four more execution victims were reported in the municipality of Tanhuato. These victims were left with messages signed by Los Caballeros Templarios-Guardia Michoacan identifying them as extortionists, thieves and rapists.
Back in the state capitol of Morelia the Congo selection defeated the Netherlands Saturday evening. When the players and coaching staff of both teams arrived at the Hotel Fiesta Inn after the competition, they reported that several of the rooms assigned to both teams had been burglarized and money and personal effects were taken.
Mexico City, Monterrey, Torreon, Guadalajara, Queretaro and Pachuca are the other cities hosting Group tournament play in the 2011 Under 17 World Cup.
sources:
http://www.colimanoticias.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14517:arde-michoacan-antes-de-la-apertura-del-mundial-9-ejecutados-y-8-autos-quemados&catid=77:policiacas&Itemid=106
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110618/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_drug_war_mexico
http://www.quadratin.com.mx/Noticias/Justicia/Hallan-otros-4-asesinados-suman-13-en-menos-de-24-horas
http://www.quadratin.com.mx/Noticias/Hallan-14-asesinados-en-la-Cienaga
The national soccer teams of Congo and Netherlands should have left the country in protest immediately after they were burglarized.
ReplyDeleteMexico should not be hosting sporting events if it cannot provide security to visiting foreign sports teams.
It is heating up!!That is insane how many murders in one place happened. insane, and it all happens where the president is watching a game. Insane
ReplyDeletebh1
Why would they host it in the state of Michoacan. Why not that states of Jalisco, Ciudad de Mexico, Hidalgo or etc etc etc...but Michoacan??? That state is has been the scene of narco violence for a while now. Its like hosting the World cup in Juarez or Tamaulipas what's wrong with the people who organize this shit...
ReplyDeleteJajaa..se hacen llamar "caballeros"?? Por que? Un caballero no hace esas babosadas...
ReplyDeleteWho are these Templars? Paras or what?
ReplyDeleteGarcia, they appear to be extrajudicial, private or government death squads that operate against people they identify as being cartelistas. That's why their messaging is similar to the cartels but still cannot just be dismissed as being just more 'narcobanners'. The differences are there, though subtle.
ReplyDeleteThe Colombian military and its allies has also operated in this sort of manner, too. And many of the Right Winger rich in Mexico openly call for this type of retaliation, publicly. What have they been doing behind closed doors?
One should realize, also, that the region of Michoacan was long a PRD stronghold and that the Right in Michoacan often got around this by operating almost like Klanners during the post Civil War Reconstruction Era in the US once operated. Will it turn out to be eventually learned that Calderon and his government have been, shall we, 'tolerating' the presence of 'The Templares'? Time will tell...
so many groups rising up... ahhh i long for the old days when u had one trafficker, the govt. the police, and the people - ALL ON THE SAME SIDE.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the info tho. Yes the paras rose up in Colombia to battle or avenge killings by cartels down there when the govt and law enforcement failed. In this case tho I would find it hard to believe that these Templars weren't bankrolled by Cartels too....
Y si....
ReplyDeleteActually, the info is just not out here about who really funds and backs up Los Caballeros Templarios. Many at BB have jumped to conclusions on next to no info at all. And perhaps the conclusion that 'The Templarios' is a group of drug traffickers and not a death squads outift trying to kill drug traffickers outside the restraints of respecting law is totally wrong?
ReplyDeleteJune 19, 2011 9:37 PM
ReplyDeleteNothing was ever accomplished in colombia.....its just business as usual with an even sweeter deal now. They are still providing the coke even more now but now they have mexican cartels to run it for them......it has not gotten any better in colombia and if you think it has you have no business opening your mouth. the only thing they did was kill a face, meaning they killed the "poster boy" (pablo.) and business goes on......you might say you don't hear about colombia anymore but we do all the time....colombia contributes to more than half of the bs thats going down in mexico.....they are still in the mix....and even more so now than the days of pablo escobar, they just have someone else to do the dirty work.
Los Caballeros Templarios is the Spanish definition of the Knights Templars which in history existed in the 1114 a.d they where the Elite Fighters of the Crusaders that headed to Jerusalume. The Knights where commaded by the the Catholic church to make way for the
ReplyDeletecrusaders and pilgrims. After they Crusaders reached there designation they build a quick reputation for being the most feared and strong Fighters.THey now became the Churchs enemy because the templares became more powerfull and richer than the church.So as curropt as the church was it made it possible for the innitiation for the murder against all Templars. Many fleed the scene and it was possible only by taking of the uniform and putting on some other type of clothing.
Los Caballeros protect the innocent and kill the bad people like corrupt police and people that kill for the hell of it. Why do you think a lot of people support them because they protect their people from Los Zetas.
ReplyDeleteall the tyrant governments of this world are ZETAS, its a good thing to have groups such as" LOS CABALLEROS DEL TEMPLAR". They are the solution for corruption,rape,extortion,and murder,that these governments have and continue to allow,encogneto,so lets not be put in fear of wat the government media allows to show you. El 'ZEgobierno' has always and continue to do wat it does until knights in white satin arrive, so gitty up. PUROTARASCO!
ReplyDeleteWith all the killings in mexico a civil war it's it's more likely to happen but for some of us will try to get out of the country as soon as we can
ReplyDeletearriba la gente sicaria
ReplyDeleteThe Knights Templar are just protecting the Michoacán Turf. It is because they are fighting other cartels and corrupt government that is y there are so many killings. The Knights Templar fight for the people, with ought them Michoacán would be ran by the zetas and they have no respect for humanity. So Puro Caballeros Templarios!!!!!
ReplyDelete