Nine people found executed in northern Mexico

Mexican authorities announced Sunday that nine men were executed in the town of Apodaca in the northern state of Nuevo Leon.

At a press conference, Nuevo Leon's attorney general, Roberto Ramirez, said the victims appeared to have been tortured, before being found dead in a house in the Valle de San Miguel district.

"Nine people were killed, two with blunt weapons and seven had been hanged. All the victims had their hands tied with plastic belts," he said.

Ramirez said security footage of the area and witness statements had been gathered.

"We have many lines of investigation as we found drug residue and drug paraphernalia. For the moment, we do not believe this was a drug war killing as firearms were not used," said the attorney general.

For his part, Nuevo Leon governor Jaime Rodriguez said this incident and the execution of two other people in the town of Guadalupe "had rung alarm bells," but he also ruled out the "beginning of a war."

In recent years, Nuevo Leon has seen numerous deaths in a bloody conflict between the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas. Endit