The British ambassador to Mexico has been quietly removed from his post after pointing an automatic rifle at a local employee of the embassy. A video of the incident surfaced on the X social network, the Guardian reports.
According to the Financial Times, John Benjamin was on an official trip to Durango and Sinaloa, two Mexican states with very strong organized crime groups, when he took aim at his colleague, who, as seen in the mentioned video, was very uncomfortable.
It is assumed that the weapon belonged to one of the security guards accompanying the diplomat. Benjamin was fired in April after the incident.
"In the context of the daily murders carried out by drug dealers in Mexico, he dares to joke," wrote the anonymous X profile that posted the video.
Over the past six years, Mexico has recorded more than 30 murders a year as organized crime groups fight for control of territories and businesses across the country.
Benjamin, who will become the UK's ambassador to Mexico in 2021, previously held similar posts in Chile, Turkey, Ghana, Indonesia and the United States during a career spanning almost four decades. He is no longer listed as an ambassador on the official British government website.
Diplomatic relations between the UK and Mexico are generally very good, and the two countries are currently negotiating a new free trade agreement.
This week Mexicans are electing a new president, and Claudia Scheinbaum is a big favorite and has the chance to become the first Mexican president. The election campaign has been marred by violence, with more than 30 candidates killed and hundreds more dropping out as organized crime groups try to install leaders favored by them.
On Wednesday, the last day of the campaign, one of the criminals filmed himself killing opposition mayoral candidate Jose Alfredo Cabrera, before being shot dead by Cabrera's bodyguards.
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