Deadly Ambush Targets Aides to Mexico City Mayor

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Deadly Ambush Targets Aides to Mexico City Mayor \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Two close aides to Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada were assassinated in a well-planned attack involving at least four suspects. Authorities say the gunman switched vehicles multiple times, indicating a high level of coordination. Officials have not yet linked the killings to organized crime but are investigating all possibilities.

Quick Looks

Two top aides to Mayor Clara Brugada assassinated Tuesday morning.
Ximena Guzmán and José Muñoz were shot in Guzmán’s vehicle.
Police say at least four people were involved in the attack.
The gunman used a motorcycle and changed vehicles twice.
No motive confirmed, but the act was clearly premeditated.
Officials suspect the perpetrators had prior surveillance knowledge.
Bodies found at the scene; Guzmán shot eight times.
No links to organized crime yet, but it’s under review.
Residents nearby were shocked and left memorial tributes.
The attack is the worst on public officials in Mexico City since 2020.

Deep Look

In one of the most alarming political attacks Mexico City has seen in recent years, two close aides to Mayor Clara Brugada were gunned down in broad daylight on Tuesday morning. The assassination, which occurred along a major thoroughfare, claimed the lives of Brugada’s personal secretary, Ximena Guzmán, and her adviser, José Muñoz.

According to Mexico City Police Chief Pablo Vázquez Camacho, the ambush involved at least four individuals and was marked by a high degree of planning and execution. Surveillance footage, eyewitness accounts, and forensic evidence have helped authorities identify a motorcycle and two other vehicles used in the escape. These developments suggest a coordinated effort, not a random act of violence.

A Calculated Hit in the Capital

The attack occurred around 7 a.m., as Guzmán and Muñoz were traveling in her car. Shots were fired from close range, leaving at least four bullet holes clustered on the driver’s side windshield. Muñoz and Guzmán were killed instantly, with one body found on the pavement near the vehicle.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Chief Vázquez Camacho stated that neither victim had bodyguards but both had undergone self-protection training, a common practice for public officials operating in politically sensitive roles.

“They are people who worked very closely with the people … and they did their work without fear,” Vázquez said.

Bertha Alcalde Luján, Mexico City’s chief prosecutor, revealed that the assailant initially escaped on a motorcycle hidden nearby, then switched vehicles twice during the getaway. Authorities recovered clothing and other materials from the abandoned vehicles, which are currently under forensic analysis.

Guzmán was shot eight times and Muñoz four times, Alcalde confirmed.

“It was a direct attack with an important degree of planning,” Alcalde said, adding that the level of precision suggested prior experience.

Still, she cautioned that it was too early to confirm a motive or blame organized crime, saying, “We cannot conclude that this is tied to organized crime, much less speak now of a particular organized crime group.”

Investigators have identified at least one individual who was seen at the scene of the crime days before the attack, suggesting that Guzmán and Muñoz were being surveilled and their routines carefully monitored.

The Capital No Longer Immune

For decades, Mexico City was viewed as a relative safe haven from the cartel violence plaguing much of the country. While street crime has always been present, high-level political assassinations and narco-style ambushes were rare. That perception began to change in June 2020, when then–Mexico City police chief Omar García Harfuch survived a dramatic assassination attempt in the capital’s upscale Lomas de Chapultepec district. He blamed the Jalisco New Generation Cartel for that attack, which left two bodyguards and a civilian dead.

Since then, there had not been another high-profile assault on public officials in the city—until now.

The recent killings may further erode the fragile sense of safety in the capital and intensify scrutiny on whether organized crime is regaining ground in Mexico City, albeit discreetly.

A Scene of Grief and Uncertainty

While officials addressed the media, the attack site on Wednesday had become a makeshift memorial. Flowers, handwritten notes, and candles lined the sidewalk where the bodies of Guzmán and Muñoz had been found the day before. Commuters passed by, many unaware of what had unfolded. Others, like Loretta García Oriz, a university student, could not forget.

“Passing here gives me the same trauma,” García said, describing how she saw the bodies still at the scene Tuesday morning.

Nearby, street vendor Oscar Sánchez said he hadn’t known what had happened until a fellow vendor informed him and police cordoned off the area.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re an official or just an average person—it’s all the same,” he said, highlighting a growing fear that no one is immune from violence.

Political Ramifications Loom

The assassinations have drawn national attention not only due to their brutality but also because of the political stature of the victims’ boss. Mayor Clara Brugada is considered one of the most prominent political figures in the country, second only to President Claudia Sheinbaum, who herself once held the mayor’s office.

The Mexico City mayorship has long been a launching pad for presidential campaigns, and Brugada is widely seen as part of the ruling party’s core leadership. While Sheinbaum expressed condolences and refrained from speculating on possible links to organized crime during her press briefing, the implications are being quietly debated in political circles.

Given the symbolic importance of Mexico City in national politics, the attack could send shockwaves through the political establishment and increase pressure on federal authorities to deliver swift justice.