Two top aides of Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada were shot dead after being ambushed by gunmen on a motorbike in a daytime attack in the city centre on Tuesday.
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The victims were the mayor’s private secretary, Ximena Guzman, and an adviser to Brugada, Jose Munoz, according to a statement from the city.
The assassinations have sent shock waves through Mexico’s capital, widely regarded as an oasis of relative security in a country plagued by violence. Political violence has become common in many parts of Mexico, where scores of local political candidates have been assassinated in killings usually linked to drug cartels seeking to exert influence.
Initial reports indicated Guzman had been driving to work and stopped on a busy avenue in downtown Mexico City to pick up her colleague, an official at the federal prosecutor’s office said.
Munoz was approached by two gunmen on a motorbike who shot and killed him in the street. The attackers then fired at least four shots at Guzman inside the vehicle, killing her.
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Authorities have not yet given a motive for the attack although security experts say it appeared to be a hit carried out by organised crime.