Security fears shut down classes at Mexico's top university after
student killing
[October 01, 2025]
By MARÍA VERZA
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Classes were canceled or moved online this week in
more than half of the departments at Mexico ’s National Autonomous
University over security concerns following the recent killing of a
student at a university feeder school and a spate of threats.
The rector of the country's leading university committed Tuesday to
strengthening security measures and bolstering emotional support
available to students.
The school has experienced cases of gender-based violence over the
years, and is now investigating threats made against several female
professors, in addition to last week’s killing of a 16-year-old student
at the Sciences and Humanities School South campus.
The university has reported a dozen threats to the Mexico City
prosecutor’s office, university General Counsel Hugo Concha said
Tuesday. He said most concerning were threats via email and social
platforms against four female professors from the chemistry department
for “being women,” which referenced last week’s fatal attack.
Authorities have a suspect in the killing in custody. The 19-year-old is
hospitalized after jumping from a building as he tried to make his
escape. The preliminary investigation found links from the suspect to
the “involuntary celibate” or “incel” ideology, a mostly online group of
individuals, primarily men, who believe society unjustly denies them
sexual or romantic attention.
Concha said that while the university has worked to establish protocols
for the possibility of “incel” related incidents, it had not recorded a
violent incident connected to it. He did not rule out that it could also
be related to the threats to the professors.
The University Council’s security commission met Tuesday to discuss the
concerns. Rector Leonardo Lomelí committed to ensuring the university
community’s safety and providing psychological support to those who want
it. The administrator said the university would take legal and
disciplinary action against anyone found responsible for the threats.
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People walk by the Dean's Office Building of the National
Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, Jan. 23,
2023. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)
Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday during her daily
news briefing that her administration would propose the creation of
“safe spaces” where students can report threats or other harassment
in online platforms.
The incidents have also happened at a time of year when historically
there have been heightened tensions on campus. That's due to the
Sept. 26 anniversary of the 2014 forced disappearances of 43
students from a teachers college in southern Mexico and the Oct. 2
anniversary of the Oct. 2, 1968 massacre of students in Mexico
City’s iconic Tlatelolco plaza.
Fourteen departments had moved to online classes because students
refused to come to classes and another 14 were completely shut down
by the students and faculty.
Concha said last week’s attack “created a more problematic
atmosphere, of high intensity, which has driven the university to
directly confront and worry about addressing security issues.”
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