FGR responds to TG1 interview on Rancho Izaguirre

Reporting and context

Mexico's federal Attorney General's Office rejected allegations of mass incineration at Rancho Izaguirre after Italian broadcaster TG1 aired an interview with a man who claimed to be a Jalisco New Generation Cartel hitman. According to Azteca Noticias, the FGR issued its response on October 14 and said forensic investigations at the Jalisco property remained active.

The interviewee, whose face was concealed, claimed that he had personally burned 250 victims at the ranch and participated in killings there. He also said he earned 4,000 pesos a week and received the same pay regardless of how many people he killed in a day. These are the man's claims about his role and activities, as described in Azteca Noticias' account of the broadcast.

Azteca Noticias reported that the FGR called the mass-incineration assertions completely false. The agency said forensic processing of the property was 92% complete and that 15 people possibly connected to events there had been placed under criminal proceedings. The report also said the investigative file included phones and victims' testimony.

The televised account and the FGR's response offer conflicting descriptions of what happened at the ranch. The agency said its investigative and forensic work was continuing; its reported progress figure describes processing of the site, rather than a confirmed victim count.

The source image is a montage pairing the ranch entrance with a frame of the TG1 interview.

Original reporting: Azteca Noticias.