ALBAWABA - After pointing an assault gun at an embassy employee, the British Ambassador to Mexico was fired quietly but significantly earlier this year. Social media video revealed the incident.
"I Can't Abandon My Humanity": Israeli Sofia arrested for refusing to be part of Gaza massacreA report explains Jon Benjamin's departure as British Ambassador to Mexico. Ambassador Benjamin was on an official tour to Durango and Sinaloa, renowned for their formidable organized crime gangs, when he pulled a gun from his car and pointed it at a colleague, according to the Financial Times. The newspaper's five-second video showed the agony.
The diplomat's security staff apparently possessed the gun. Benjamin was fired quickly after the April incident.
Anonymously shared the video on "X," saying, "In the context of daily killings in Mexico by drug traffickers, he dares to joke." The clip went viral on social media.
The UK government's website no longer lists 61-year-old Jon Benjamin as an ambassador. He was the UK's Ambassador to Mexico from 2021 and had worked in Chile, Turkey, Ghana, Indonesia, and the US for over 40 years.
FCDO representative informed Financial Times: "We took proper measures after learning about this event. The Foreign Office has strong HR protocols for internal difficulties."
The British government stated that Ambassador Benjamin was disciplined but did not say whether he was fired.
Mexico has seen approximately 30,000 homicides each year for the previous six years, one of the worst rates in Latin America, as organized criminal gangs fight for territory and income.
The UK and Mexico, Latin America's second-largest economy, maintain good diplomatic ties. According to The Guardian, both nations have been discussing a new FTA since 2022.
In other news, Claudia Sheinbaum is poised to become Mexico's first female president on Sunday after Andrés Manuel López Obrador's term.
In Coyuca de Benítez, Guerrero state, a shooter recorded himself killing opposition mayoral candidate José Alfredo Cabrera on the last day of campaigning. The assailant was slain by Cabrera's security.
