TIJUANA, MEXICO — A former intelligence agent has been taken into custody in connection with one of Mexico’s most haunting political assassinations — the 1994 killing of presidential frontrunner Luis Donaldo Colosio.
Jorge Antonio Sánchez Ortega, once employed by the now-defunct Center for Investigation and National Security (CISEN), was arrested over the weekend in the border city of Tijuana and brought before judicial authorities. The arrest marks a dramatic turn in a case long clouded by suspicion, political tension, and theories of internal betrayal.
Colosio, the charismatic candidate representing the then-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), was fatally shot during a campaign stop in Tijuana’s Lomas Taurinas neighborhood on March 23, 1994. His assassination sent shockwaves through the country, altering the trajectory of Mexican politics and eroding public trust in the state.
Colosio’s campaign had taken a bold direction in the weeks prior to his death. In a widely publicized speech, he had called out entrenched corruption and warned of an “Mexico of privileges,” drawing a stark line between his reformist vision and the political machinery he belonged to. That speech is now viewed by many as a possible trigger for internal enemies.
Mario Aburto Martínez was swiftly arrested and convicted as the lone gunman, but the official narrative has never satisfied public scrutiny. Theories implicating higher powers, including elements within the government and security services, have persisted for decades. Sánchez Ortega was originally detained in the immediate aftermath of the killing but was released within 24 hours. At the time, he was an active intelligence officer.
His re-arrest raises fresh questions: Why now? Has new evidence emerged? Authorities have not disclosed whether forensic breakthroughs, testimony, or classified files prompted the renewed interest. What is clear, however, is that the Colosio case — once thought closed — is far from over.
The renewed legal proceedings are likely to reignite debates over institutional accountability and transparency in Mexico’s security apparatus, especially during a time when the country continues to confront its legacy of impunity in high-profile crimes.
Three decades later, Colosio’s final speech still echoes: “I see a Mexico with hunger and thirst for justice.”
