Video of soldiers executing detained man sparks uproar in Mexico

A video released by Mexican media outlets Wednesday appears to show a soldier executing a civilian lying face down in the street with a shot to the back of his head.

The video’s circulation was quickly followed by condemnation and pledges from the defence department to determine its authenticity and the Attorney General’s Office to investigate the May 3 events in the town of Palmarito.

The security camera footage first published by Diario Cambio purportedly depicts part of the military’s encounter with fuel pipeline thieves that the government said left 10 dead in the central state of Puebla.

Fuel theft has long plagued Mexico, but is generating more violence lately as federal authorities crack down. Mexico’s treasury secretary said Tuesday the practice costs the country US$780 million to US$1 billion each year.

The military originally said that in the May 3 encounter the thieves used local residents as human shields in an initial ambush on an army patrol. Two soldiers were killed and a third wounded.

Reinforcements of 1,000 soldiers and police were sent in and hours later another patrol was ambushed. Two more soldiers were killed along with three attackers. Puebla state officials later said three more attackers had also died.

It is unclear if one of those events is depicted in the video released Wednesday. The Associated Press could not independently verify the video’s authenticity.