Mexico taxi murders spark tennis fears

A spate of bloody attacks on taxis in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco left 12 taxi drivers or passengers dead, hours before the start of the Mexican Open tennis tournament.

But organisers of the largest tennis tournament in Latin America said the Mexican government had assured them that appropriate security measures had been taken for the event that starts in the city today.

Acapulco has been the scene of bloody drug cartel turf wars and taxi drivers have often been targeted for extortion or recruited by the gangs to act as lookouts or to transport drugs.

Police in Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located, said four suspects had been detained in connection with some of the attacks. The suspects had guns, a grenade and a machete that police say may have been used to decapitate some of the victims.

The attacks began on Friday, when five taxi drivers were found dead in or near their vehicles. The slaughter continued on Saturday, when a driver was found bound and shot dead near his taxi and two others were found shot dead inside their vehicles. One of the drivers had been beheaded.

Gunmen opened fire on yet another taxi, killing the driver and three passengers.

Yesterday the violence came closer to the city’s tourist zone, where the tennis tournament is held.

Five cars were set on fire and a man’s body was found hacked to pieces outside an apartment building.

The Association of Tennis Professionals said it had received assurances from all levels of the Mexican government.

“Following an independent security assessment and discussions with tournament organisers, we are satisfied that responsible measures are being taken, and that the event has the full support of the authorities of Acapulco, the state of Guerrero, and the Mexican federal government,” the organisation said.

Players have received emails from the ATP about the situation, warning them about going out and suggesting they stay near their hotel. It has also been suggested they arrive as late as possible and leave once eliminated.

Tournament bosses played down the security concerns, pointing out that the International Olympic Committee and its president Jacques Rogge held their executive board meeting in the coastal resort in October.

Argentine tennis star David Nalbandian, who said on Saturday that he was thinking about withdrawing from the tournament because of a groin injury, said: “It’s a great and enjoyable tournament to play.

“But for right now it’s a little more difficult because of the security situation. We (players) are a bit scared about this and we’re trying to decide what to do.”

Tournament director Raul Zurutuza, who later confirmed Nalbandian’s withdrawal, said the danger was being exaggerated.

“It is being blown out of proportion – what is going on, that we are concerned about the violence,” he said. “We are. But in the context of tennis being played, I believe a great week awaits us.”

Spanish player David Ferrer, who won the last Acapulco tournament, agreed, saying: “We tennis players have all the guarantees” for personal safety.“

- Authorities in the violence-torn border town of Ciudad Juarez are seeking to ban a shoot-em-up video game.

Chihuahua state has asked the government to ban Call of Juarez: The Cartel, which is based on drug gang shoot-outs in Ciudad Juarez.

About 6,000 people died in drug-related violence in Ciudad Juarez in 2009 and 2010, making the city, bordering El Paso, Texas, one of the deadliest in the world.

The website of game developer Ubisoft Entertainment says the game is due for release this summer.

The game’s promotional slogan urges players: “Take justice into your own hands and experience the lawlessness of the modern Wild West.”