Severed Head Found Outside Mexican Base*

The Associated Press
Saturday, May 12, 2007; 2:09 PM

VERACRUZ, Mexico -- A severed head reportedly accompanied by a note of
defiance from organized crime gangs was found outside a military
barracks in Veracruz state on Saturday.

The head was found in a box outside the army base in Veracruz city, just
hours after the government announced it was sending troops to respond to
a shooting attack. The box also held a message saying gangs would
continue operating despite the presence of troops, Mexico's Reforma
newspaper reported.

The victim's body was found shortly afterward on a street in another
neighborhood, wrapped in a sheet.

On Friday, assailants killed four bodyguards assigned to protect the
children of a state governor who were vacationing in Veracruz. The
killings were latest in a wave of violence across Mexico that has also
targeted soldiers and police.

The government began sending additional troops to Veracruz after the
slaying of guards protecting the children of Mexico State Gov. Enrique
Pena, Interior Secretary Francisco Ramirez said.

Victoria Hernandez, spokeswoman for the Veracruz state prosecutor's
office said it appears the gunmen mistook the bodyguards' vehicle for
that of a rival gang.

Pena, a widower, also blamed the attack on mistaken identity and said he
would not use extra security.

"I rule out that it was against family. It was just confusion," he told
reporters in Chalco, outside Mexico City.