Anti-corruption activist reportedly threatened in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – A Mexican anti-corruption non-profit says that a member of its staff has been threatened at gunpoint.

Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity says it has filed a criminal complaint over last week’s incident. It hasn’t identified the staff member.

In a statement Wednesday, the group says the staffer was approached by two men on a motorcycle. One brandished a pistol and demanded the victim’s cellphone.

It initially seemed like common theft, but then the attacker pointed the gun at the victim’s head and said a crude phrase that roughly translates as, “You better back off.” He then tossed away the phone.

The group is among a number of non-governmental organizations and media workers who discovered a sort of sophisticated spying software only sold to governments had targeted their cellphones.