Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
Eight people have been arrested for questioning in a wave of 17 slayings of women whose bodies have been dumped around this border city since August.
The seven men and one woman taken into custody easrly Sunday are all believed to have been part of a gang that was kidnapping, raping, and then killing young women encountered at bars, officials said.
"So far, we believe these people are responsible," Chihuahua Gov. Francisco Barrio said at a news conference called Monday to announce the arrests.
Several have confessed, said Jorge Lopez, assistant state attorney general.
Authorities would not comment on a possible motive for the killings in Juarez, which is across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas.
They also would not say if investigators believe the group may have been responsible for all 17 deaths, some of which have never been linked previously.
Lopez did say that the eight have acknowledged having some relationship to the only previous suspect, Sharif Sharif, an Egyptian chemist jailed in Juarez on a rape charge and for investigation in the killings.
"They do know each other. There has been contact between them," Barrio said without offering any details.
Most of the victims, only of a few of whom have been identified, are believed to have been in their teens or early 20s. Most were strangled and at least one was stabbed.
The first body was found in August.
The eight people arrested on Sunday, all described as Mexican citizens younger than 30, were being held on suspicion of rape, kidnapping and homicide. Authorities would not say when or if they will be charged and no decision has been made on bail.
Barrios said authorities identified the suspects about two weeks ago, but had to wait until this weekend to condust the raids, which took about three hours.
During a prison interview Monday, Sharif denied knowing any of the eight and said he had no knowledge of their alleged crimes. But he did acknowledge he frequented some of the bars where they were arrested.
Sharif, who has long proclaimed his innocence, noted that he has been jailed since October, while the latest eight victims had only been found in recent weeks.
"Give me a break," Sharif said. "This is garbage."
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