The killing of nine US citizens, three women and six children, who were travelling in a convoy in Mexico has turned the spotlight on the troubled history of the remote Mormon sect they belonged to.
The women were travelling together from Bavispe in Sonora state for "safety reasons" when they were ambushed by a drugs cartel gang on Monday. The nine victims were members of the LeBaron family, a group of dual Mexican and American citizens who live in a fundamentalist Mormon community. Police today confirmed that one arrest had been after the killings, which left one vehicle torched and riddled with bullets in what appeared to be a deliberate hit.
Heartbreaking footage also emerged today showing a wounded baby being treated for gunshot wounds in a hospital in the state of Sonora. US President Donald Trump vowed to "wage war" on Mexican drug cartel "monsters" who allegedly carried out the atrocity against the families who were travelling to a wedding. As recently as , two members of the community, including one from the LeBaron family, were slain by cartels.
Anti-crime activists Benjamin LeBaron, 31, and his brother-in-law Luis Widmar Stubbs were kidnapped and murdered by cartel after the abduction of his younger brother, who was later released.
In this climate of fear it has been alleged the NXIVM sex cult leader Keith Raniere recruited Mormon women under the promise he could save them from the horrific violence unfolding around them.
