For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
WASHINGTON—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today commended the announcement of a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of additional individuals responsible for the murder of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the attempted murder of ICE HSI Special Agent Victor Avila. In addition, the FBI, in conjunction with ICE, has established a 24-hour tip line based in the United States to process the information.
The announcement was made jointly today by the Departments of Justice, State and Homeland Security. Click here to view the press release and information related to the reward and tip line.
“This reward reflects the U.S. government’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that all those responsible for the murder of Special Agent Zapata are brought to justice,” said Secretary Napolitano. “We encourage anyone with information about this case to contact authorities.”
Also today the Government of Mexico announced a reward of up to 10 million pesos for information leading to the arrest of individuals allegedly responsible for the murder and attempted murder.
Zapata and Avila were ambushed in Mexico on Feb. 15, 2011, as they were traveling in their U.S. government-issued vehicle from the state of San Luis Potosi to Mexico City. Mexican authorities have detained several individuals in connection with this incident and the investigation continues at this time.
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