Personal secretary and adviser to Mexico City’s mayor killed in attack

Tragedy struck Mexico City as the personal secretary and advisor to Mayor Clara Brugada were gunned down by assailants on a motorcycle in a central neighborhood on Tuesday, authorities confirmed.

Mayor Brugada, holding the second most influential political position in the country after President Claudia Sheinbaum, expressed her shock and sorrow at the loss of her secretary, Ximena Guzmán, and advisor, José Muñoz, in the Moderna neighborhood. The motive behind the attack remains under investigation.

President Sheinbaum, a close ally of Mayor Brugada within the Morena party, condemned the killings during her morning press briefing, assuring the public that justice would prevail. Sheinbaum, who previously served as Mexico City’s mayor before assuming the presidency, emphasized that there would be no tolerance for such acts of violence.

This tragic incident comes after a previous attempt on the life of the mayor’s then police chief in 2020, orchestrated by gunmen affiliated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The ambush, which resulted in injuries to the police chief and claimed the lives of three individuals, highlighted the ongoing challenges posed by criminal organizations in the region.