Police have arrested eight men in San Carlos, Sonora, in connection with the kidnapping yesterday morning of an 18-year-old youth.

It was also revealed that municipal police received an anonymous threat shortly after the arrests.

After Leonardo José M.R., was kidnapped at 10:00am Friday, authorities activated a Code Red alert and federal, state and local police initiated a search for him by land and air.

Four hours later, police located a safe house where the kidnappers were keeping their victim. After a firefight and attempted flight, police detained eight suspects, freed the victim and secured several vehicles, assault weapons, bulletproof vests and other equipment and clothing that may have belonged to the navy.

Leonardo José was hospitalized and treated for wounds inflicted with a machete, reported the newspaper Radar Sonora, indicating he had been tortured.

The eight suspects, who were transferred to a municipal detention center operated by National Defense, were described as “highly dangerous” and administrative staff were asked to leave for their own safety before the prisoners arrived.

Last night, police picked up a threat over their internal radio channel: an anonymous voice said three times, “I’m coming for you, you know why.”

An unidentified source said San Carlos police chief Silvestre Armenta reinforced security measures at the police station in light of the threat, although authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the message might have been a joke made in bad taste.

San Carlos is a beachfront community within the city of Guaymas in southwestern Sonora.

Source: Opinión Sonora (sp), Radar Sonora (sp)