Mexican Mayor Trumpets Foe's Death—Before Body Found

Monterrey-area mayor Mauricio Fernandez is facing some tough questions after announcing the death of his drug baron nemesis hours before the body was found and days before it was identified. "Saldana, who apparently is the one who was asking for my head, was found dead today in Mexico City," Fernandez told cheering supporters at his re-election ceremony. Police found Saldana's corpse in a car with three others later that day, AP reports.

"Sometimes there are coincidences in life; it's better to look at it this way," Fernandez said when asked how he could have possibly known about the killing before police arrived on the scene. He later said he had been tipped off to the killing by unspecified intelligence sources. The mayor, who denies any involvement in Saldana's death, vowed to crack down on crime during his acceptance speech. "We will take the bull by the horns," he said. (More Mexican drug war stories.)