Mexico arrests two men over killing of US border patrol agent Nicholas Ivie
This picture taken on October 20, 2006, shows workers building a 14-foot high mesh fence along the US-Mexican border near Naco, Arizona.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Mexican federal police have arrested two men over the killing of a border patrol officer near the US-Mexico border this week, the Associated Press reported today, citing an unnamed official.
Agent Nicholas Ivie, 30, was shot dead early Tuesday near Naco, southeast of Tuscon in Arizona.
He and two other agents were investigating a motion detector sensor that had been triggered in the rugged area when they came under fire.
Another agent suffered gunshot wounds and was released from hospital today after undergoing surgery, CBS News reported.
The third agent was unhurt in the attack.
A Mexican army official told Reuters that two men were arrested Wednesday over the shooting.
But an unnamed law enforcement official told the AP that it was not clear if there was enough evidence to link the suspects to the murder.
Initial reports on Tuesday said the men were suspected drug traffickers due to the time of day and the location of the shooting.
According to Reuters, the town of Naco has been a smuggling corridor for marijuana trafficking and human smuggling, despite a tall fence along the border with Mexico.
The last border patrol agent shot dead on duty was Brian Terry in December 2010. The AP said two weapons used in that shooting were later linked to the Fast and Furious gun smuggling operation.
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