Mexican police arrest six men in connection with rape of Spaniards

Mexican authorities announced on Wednesday that six men between the ages of 16 and 30 have been charged with the rapes of six Spanish tourists in Acapulco.

Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam said at a press conference that the six men “fully confessed” to the rapes and break-in at a bungalow in the Pacific resort city on February 4.

“We have six detainees who have confessed, fully confessed to the crime,” he said. “There is also physical evidence that connects them.”

Murillo Karam said he considered the case closed, although police are looking for another suspect who is still at large.

Hooded gunmen broke into the bungalow at Playa Diamante where seven women and seven men were staying. After they tied up the men with cellphone charger cords and bikini strings, they proceeded to rape six of the women – all Spaniards. A seventh woman, who is Mexican, was left unharmed.

The case made headlines around the world due to Acapulco’s international image as a jet-set resort. The largest city in Guerrero state has been plagued by drug-related violence, giving Acapulco the dubious reputation of being the murder capital of Mexico last year. There were more than 1,000 killings reported by the media in the city in 2012.

Police rounded up about 14 people for questioning, all of whom were detained for various days in connection with the crime. Families and friends of the detainees who were being held blocked a major avenue leading to Acapulco’s international airport on Wednesday afternoon, claiming that Mexican authorities were arresting innocent people because they were under pressure to solve the case.

The 14 detainees were ruled out as suspects after the six men were brought in on Wednesday.