Dec 2, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Mormon family massacre: Mexican authorities detain suspects

Rebecca Falconer

A worker lifts to the tow truck the burnt van where five of the nine members of the Mexican-American LeBaron family were killed, in the Sonora mountain range, Mexico, on November 6 — The burnt van where five of the nine LeBaron family members were killed, in the Sonora mountain range, Mexico, on Nov. 6. Photo: Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images

The Mexican government said in a statement Sunday that authorities detained several people suspected of a cartel shooting massacre of nine members of a Mormon family who held U.S. and Mexican citizenship.

The big picture: Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is under pressure to curb violence in the country. President Trump has vowed to designate Mexico's drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

Attorney General Bill Barr is due to meet with officials in Mexico City "to discuss Trump's plan" this week, per the Washington Post.
Three people were arrested in Bavispe in Sonora over the killing near the border of the six children and three mothers from the LeBaron family.

Go deeper: Gruesome attacks challenge López Obrador's softer approach to Mexico's cartels

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Mormon family massacre: Mexican authorities detain suspects

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