Summary Mora and 26 followers were released from prison after judge said they had acted in self-defense
MORELIA (AFP) - The founder of a Mexican self-defense group was freed from custody Monday after a judge cleared him and his followers of wrongdoing in a deadly December clash with rival vigilantes.
Hipolito Mora and 26 followers were released from prison after a judge said they had acted in self-defense during the December 16 firefight, state prosecutor spokeswoman Magdalena Guzman Rosas told AFP.
The gunfight at Mora s ranch in the western state of Michoacan left 11 people dead, including his son.
Mora, a lemon tree farmer, wearing a trademark cowboy hat, left the prison near the state capital Morelia with his followers, without commenting to waiting reporters.
He and the other defendants had surrendered to the authorities following after the shootout.
Mora and other farmers in Michoacan formed vigilante forces in February 2013 to fight off the Knights Templar drug cartel, which had terrorized the state through murder, kidnappings and extortion.
Last week, authorities arrested Knights Templar leader Servando Gomez.
