Mexico Cracks Down On Zapatista Rebels

President Ernesto Zedillo ordered the arrest of Subcomandante Marcos and other leaders of last year’s Indian rebellion on Thursday, a day after federal agents had uncovered what he called major weapons caches and plans for “new and greater acts of violence” across Mexico.

The surprise announcement marked a complete turnabout from the government’s attempts to appease the guerrillas and persuade them to lay down their arms by promising to help the poor and clean up the country’s elections.

In an address on nationwide television, Zedillo said federal judicial police on Wednesday discovered large clandestine arsenals kept by the Zapatista National Liberation Army rebels in Mexico City and the state of Veracruz.

The caches included high-powered weapons such as hand grenades, mortar rounds and explosives.