While this Sunday (04/28/2024) the investigation progresses to clarify how the three police officers murdered early Saturday morning in the Bio Bío region, in the south-central area of Chile, both Carabineros and the Investigative Police continue to carry out investigations to find the perpetrators of the crime that has shocked the entire country.
The Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá, said in an interview with the Mesa Central program, on Channel 13, that it was “a type of attack that had never been seen before” in Chile. The unusual nature of the event is based on “the level of violence” and the deployment of resources used in its execution, explained the minister. This is the worst attack against Carabineros in the area, where frequent arson attacks occur.
The police officers were ambushed when they went aboard an armored truck to supervise compliance with a night-time prison measure. Along the way, they engaged in several confrontations. The police died due to gunshot wounds. Once they were dead, they were put into the back of the truck, which was set on fire. They stole the weapons they were carrying and their helmets, Minister Tohá explained.
There will be no change of command
For his part, the Undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve, announced that the Government will file a complaint against those responsible for the crimes of homicide against Carabineros, violation of the Weapons Law and criminal organization, which carry a qualified life sentence. “We are aspiring to the highest penalties,” said the authority, on the same day that the bodies of the uniformed men were handed over to their families.
Four prosecutors are carrying out the investigation and for now no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Three communes in the province of Arauco were under night curfew. Meanwhile, Minister Tohá reaffirmed in his position the general director of the police, Ricardo Yáñez, who must face a formalization hearing on May 7 for his responsibility in cases of human rights violations in the October 2019 protests.
“At this moment there can be no changes in the Carabineros command,” said Tohá. “Although we consider it very inconvenient that the authorities are simultaneously facing an investigation, at a time like this, it would not be appropriate to remove the police leadership,” he explained.
DZC (EFE, AFP)
