Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss man stabbed to death in Mexico

Acapulco coastline
Acapulco and the rest of the State of Guerrero are known for high level of violent crime due to gangs. Keystone

An 84-year-old Swiss man was murdered on Thursday in the city of Acapulco in Mexico. 

On Saturday, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) confirmed that a “Swiss citizen has been the victim of a lethal criminal act in Mexico”. No further information was provided in order to protect the privacy of the persons involved. The media and prosecutor’s office of the Mexican state of Guerero reported that the man was stabbed to death in his holiday home during a robbery attempt in Acapulco. His wife, who is Mexican, was also seriously injured. 

The FDFA also stated that the Swiss embassy in Mexico is in contact with the local authorities and that the victim’s family members are being given consular assistance. 

According to the Mexican media, the couple were on holiday in the Pacific coastal resort. They had arrived in Acapulco to attend a wedding and then decided to vacation in the city. 

The attack, which is believed to have occurred in the early hours of Thursday in the Club Deportivo neighborhood, was carried out by a single individual, who remained in the house for almost four hours. The attacker fled around 6:00 in the morning leaving the murder weapon behind. 

Acapulco and the rest of the State of Guerrero are known for a high level of violent crime due to gangs  and the FDFA travel advisoryExternal link warns of poor security conditions in the region.

More
A soldier stands in front of a temple in Luxor

More

Swiss victim of crime abroad? Tough luck

This content was published on Switzerland has one of the most generous, state-funded victim support services in the world. However, it doesn’t benefit anyone attacked abroad.

Read more: Swiss victim of crime abroad? Tough luck


Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR