Peru minister: Strong evidence of police death squads

LIMA, Peru – Peru’s new interior minister says there is strong evidence that police officers ran death squads in 2011-2015 and prosecutors are investigating.

Interior Minister Carlos Basombrio’s comments were published in a newspaper interview confirmed by his press office. He took office July 28.

The newspaper La Republica first published the allegations four days earlier. Peruvian news outlets say more than 90 police officers ranking as high as colonel are alleged to have been involved.

Those killed were reportedly involved in crimes including bank robbery and kidnapping.

Legislator Mauricio Mulder has likened the case to the so-called “false positives” killings in Colombia in the 2000s. Colombian soldiers killed hundreds of noncombatants on the orders of officers seeking promotions by producing “body counts.”