Mexican authorities have arrested the suspected killer of a Catholic priest and prominent human rights defender whose murder sparked international condemnation, officials announced Tuesday.
Father Marcelo Pérez, 51, was shot dead on sunday in the southern state of Chiapas, shaken by escalation of gang-related violence.
The Chiapas prosecutor's office identified the alleged “perpetrator” of the crime as Edgar “N”, following the usual practice of not giving full names.
He said he had used security camera footage, witness testimony and other clues to identify the suspect.
Pérez's work in human rights had been recognized by international organizations.
The Mexican office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights denounced the murder of the indigenous priest and called for a “thorough” investigation.
AP Photo/Isabel Mateos
Rodrigo Aguilar Martínez, bishop of the southern city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, called for “decisive actions to restore peace in the country and especially in Chiapas.”
The state prosecutor's office said Reverend Pérez was shot and killed by two gunmen while he was in his truck, just after finishing celebrating mass.
“Father Marcelo was leaving the… parish after saying mass and was heading to the Church of Guadalupe, when two people aboard a motorcycle opened fire,” the office said.
He had received threats after speaking out against drug trafficking and related violence in Chiapas, which has been affected by a turf war between cartels.
Hundreds of mourners attended Pérez's funeral in his hometown on Tuesday, chanting “Long live Father Marcelo, priest of the poor!”
Mexico has seen more than 450,000 murders since a controversial military anti-drug operation was launched in 2006, according to official figures.
In 2022, two Jesuit priests were murdered Inside a church in a remote mountain community in northern Mexico. In 2016, three priests were murdered in just one week in Mexico.