4 more suspects indicted in killing of U.S. border agent
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By Michael Winter, USA TODAY
Updated 1h 13m ago
U.S. Customs and Border Protection via AP
Four additional suspects were indicted today in the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a 2010 firefight involving assault rifles linked to the botched Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation.
In announcing the indictments in the death of Agent Brian Terry, handed up in Tucson, the Justice Department offered rewards of $250,000 each for information leading to the arrest of the four suspects: Jesus Rosario Favela-Astorga, Ivan Soto-Barraza, Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes and Lionel Portillo-Meza. A fifth suspect, Manuel Osorio-Arellanes, was arrested after the deadly shootout Dec. 14, 2010, in southern Arizona.
The five are charged with first-degree and second-degree murder, assault, firearms violations and robbery-related offenses.
A sixth suspect, Rito Osorio-Arellanes, was arrested two days before the shootout and is charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery.
Authorities say the men had illegally crossed into Arizona from Mexico to rob drug traffickers when they were confronted by Terry and other agents near Nogales. As the Arizona Republic notes, at least two assault rifles recovered after the firefight were traced to Operation Fast and Furious, a controversial federal effort to catch drug kingpins.
U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents allowed guns to be smuggled into Mexico but lost track of about 1,400 of the more than 2,000 weapons, including AK-47s and other high-powered assault rifles, the Associated Press writes. It's still not clear whether Terry, a Marine veteran, was killed by one of those guns.
A judge sealed records in 2011. After being sued by news organizations, prosecutors released some records this year, though they provide little information on the killing of Terry, a former Marine and Michigan police officer. The Justice Department and Attorney General Eric Holder have resisted congressional demands to release all records related to Fast and Furious.
STORY: Justice, House GOP tangle over Fast and Furious documents
Last month, the Republican-controlled House found Holder in contempt of Congress.