Halcones (paramilitary group)

The Halcones (Spanish: Falcons) were a Mexican paramilitary group created during the tail end of the 1960s and led by Colonel Manuel Díaz Escobar, the deputy director of the General Services of the Federal District Department.

The group was responsible for the El Halconazo massacre on 10 June 1971, in which nearly 120 people were killed during a student demonstration in Mexico City.

The Halcones, which allegedly operated under the direction of Federal District officials, attacked the students with bamboo sticks, chains, and clubs, later attacking the students with M1 rifles, chasing them down through neighbouring houses, the Teachers' School (Normal de Maestros), nearby churches and even the Rubén Leñero Hospital, resulting to the injury and the death of at least 35.

[5] A similar operation transpired on 4 November 1970, when members of the Halcones attacked students celebrating the victory of the Chilean socialist President Salvador Allende.

[3] However, the considerable number of journalists and photographers attacked on 10 June by the Halcones forced Echeverría to admit their existence; as a result, the regent of Mexico City, Alfonso Martínez Domínguez, resigned.