Mexican troops arrest an alleged cartel gunman over student disappearances

MEXICO CITY — Mexican police and soldiers have arrested an alleged drug cartel hit man they say is involved in the disappearance of 43 students in the southwestern city of Iguala in September, local media reported Friday.

Felipe Rodriguez, accused of working for the cartel Guerreros Unidos — or Warriors United — was nabbed late Thursday in the state of Morelos, according to the reports.

Another 97 people, including local police officers and Iguala’s former mayor and his wife, have been arrested in connection with the case, senior federal prosecutor Tomas Zeron said Tuesday.

The case has provoked international outrage and shaken the administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto.

Prosecutors say the 43 students were attacked and abducted by Iguala police officers and cartel hit men on Sept. 26.

Federal prosecutors showed videos of three alleged hit men who said they burned the students in a garbage dump. The bone fragments of one student have been identified.

However, family members of the remaining 42 students are demanding more evidence to show the fate of their loved ones.

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The disappearances sparked Mexico’s biggest protests in years during the end of 2014. While they have died down in scale since December, some marches and demonstrations continue.

On Monday, some family members of the disappeared and other protesters tried to break into a military base in Iguala to search for any evidence that could be connected to the disappearances.

Interior Secretary Miguel Osorio Chong said there is no evidence of involvement by the soldiers in the disappearances, and that the families will be allowed to visit the base.