Lynch Mob ‘Burns Mayor To Death After Thinking He’d Ordered Hit On Political Rival’
The Mayor of a Guatemalan town was burnt to death by an angry lynch mob after it was alleged he’d ordered a hit on a political rival that left two teen girls dead.
Basilio Juracán Leja was dragged out of his home in Concepción, Sololá, on Sunday, and beaten to within an inch of his life.
The politician, who’d been re-elected for a third term in power last month, was then set on fire and left to die.
Investigators believe that the attack stemmed from an earlier attack on rival candidate Lorenzo Sequec Juracán.
Sequec Juracán was shot at as he was travelling in a van with around 10 family members on Sunday morning, according to the EFE news agency.
A car blocked the road, with its passengers getting out and then opening fire on the van as it came close.
Sequec Juracán’s daughter Lesbia Noraida Sequec, 17, and his niece Hermelinda Toc Bocel, 16, were killed in the attack.
Five other people were also injured, including Sequec Juracán.
After hearing about the shocking incident, a group of locals reportedly blamed the Mayor and marched to a home of one of his relatives.
He wasn’t there, so they set fire to the property. They eventually found the politician at his own home. He was dragged outside and killed.
Police are still investigating the shocking series of incidents.
Guatemala is listed as one of the world’s five most violent countries.
Some 18,000 people were murdered between 2012 and 2014, according to official figures - meaning an average of more than 15 people are killed each day.
(Stock image by REX)
