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The regions of La Araucanía and Bio Bío have been the scene for decades of a conflict involving indigenous Mapuche peoples who claim their territorial history.
Manuel Monsalve, Chilean Deputy Secretary of the Interior, announced on Sunday that the Government will take action against those responsible for the murder of three police officers that occurred early on Saturday in the region of Bio Bío, in the south-central area of Chile.
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According to Monsalve, if the evidence is proven before the courts, the three crimes reported carry a qualified life sentence. "We are aspiring to the highest penalties," added the official at a press conference.
"The lawsuits that the government is going to present are going to be for homicide against the Carabineros, violation of the Arms Law and for criminal organization," said Monsalve, who said that, although the Executive would like to sue for Antiterrorist Law, the "would not allow it to be sufficiently effective or to apply the highest penalties," he said.
#Chile | President Gabriel Boric declares three days of national mourning following the killing of three police officers on Saturday in southern Chile.
— DD India (@DDIndialive) April 28, 2024
The attack occurred in the municipality of Canete, in Arauco province, when the officers responded to three false emergency… pic.twitter.com/hDypvDjuSY
Monsalve confirmed that the bodies of the three police officers will be handed over to their families this Sunday and also indicated that security measures will be evaluated in the area, where several localities spent the night under curfew.
In response to the triple asesination, the Chilean government decreed the curfew in the "comunas (municipalities)" between 0.00 and 7.00 in the communes of Cañete, Contulmo and Tirúa. Monsalve, reported the measure, which seeks to facilitate the investigation that is being carried out and, in addition, "to have a better territorial control", according to Radio BioBío.
The attack against the Public Order Control (COP) officials of the Los Alamos police station occurred in the town of Cañete, 600 kilometers south of the capital, when a group of armed men fired on the police patrol, before setting fire to the vehicle with them inside. A sergeant and two corporals were burned to death.
The regions of La Araucanía and Bio Bío have been the scene for decades of a conflict involving indigenous Mapuche peoples who claim their territorial history, the State and large landowners and foresters who exploit lands and forests considered ancestral by indigenous communities.
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