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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's national security commissioner says respected journalist Javier Valdez was killed last year because of his work.
National Security Commissioner Renato Sales also said Tuesday at a brief news conference that the arrest of a suspect in Valdez's killing was achieved without force. The government announced late Monday that a Sinaloa cartel member known by the nickname "Koala" was arrested in Tijuana.
Weeks before his murder, Valdez interviewed Damaso Lopez, who had been Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's right-hand man leading the Sinaloa cartel. At the time, Lopez was battling Guzman's sons for control of the cartel.
Valdez's colleagues and journalism advocates called on the government Tuesday to continue pursuing the mastermind of the May 15, 2017, slaying in the western city of Culiacan.
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