Mexican authorities arrested a man allegedly linked to the 2010 killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, whose death sparked a wide-ranging investigation of the botched gun probe, Operation Fast and Furious.
Leonel Sanchez Jesus Meza was arrested in Mexico about 60 miles south of the Arizona border, according to a CNN report. The United States has requested extradition for Meza, who is still being held in Mexico.
Meza was included in a indictment, unsealed in July, that sought the capture of him and three others believed to be involved in the gunfight that led to Terry’s death. Five were charged in Terry’s death, with three believed to be at-large in Mexico, according to CNN.
“This arrest is a testament to the cooperation and diligent efforts of Mexican and U.S. law enforcement, and I am hopeful that it brings the Terry family a step closer to the justice that they deserve,” Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said in a statement. “I promised the Terry family that I would not rest until those responsible for the murder of Agent Terry were brought to justice, and I remain committed to that goal.”
Terry was killed in a firefight with Mexican bandits along the Arizona-Mexico border in December 2010. Two guns found at the scene of the shooting were linked to Fast and Furious, which sought to trace firearms to Mexican drug cartels. The Justice Department has since denounced the tactics used in the case, but a congressional inquiry into the agency’s handling of the operation has been ongoing for more than a year.
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee next Wednesday.
UPDATE: The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced its hearing on Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report has been rescheduled for next week.
