A decomposing body was discovered inside the trunk of an abandoned vehicle parked near the stadium where Iran's national football team is training ahead of the FIFA World Cup, authorities said on Friday (Jun 12). The grisly discovery was made in a supermarket parking lot opposite Caliente Stadium in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, where Iran has set up its training base for the tournament.
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How was the rotting body discovered?
AFP, citing its journalists at the scene, said that police found the rotting body in the trunk of a grey Toyota SUV with California licence plates. Videos from the scene show forensic specialists in white protective suits examining and removing the body.
According to the Tijuana prosecutor's office, a police patrol located the vehicle after reports from the area. "Upon inspecting the vehicle, they found a person wrapped in a black bag in the trunk, showing signs of violence," a spokesperson said.
A security guard at the supermarket told the news agency that they were alerted to the vehicle after passersby reported a strong, foul smell. "That morning they found out because it smelled bad," the guard said.
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Dead body was locked in SUV for days
Authorities believe the SUV had been abandoned since Wednesday. With temperatures in Tijuana reaching 28 degrees Celsius, authorities suspect that the body had been left inside the vehicle for several days before being discovered.
Prosecutors have launched an investigation to identify the victim and determine the circumstances of the killing.
Is the rotting dead body linked to the Iran World Cup team?
There was no immediate indication that the discovery was linked to the Iranian delegation or the World Cup. However, notably, the incident unfolded just metres from the stadium where Iran's World Cup squad has been training under heightened security. On Friday, the team's convoy departed the stadium only minutes after forensic personnel removed the body from the scene.
Iran had originally planned to hold its pre-tournament camp in Arizona but shifted its base to Mexico amid hostilities with the United States. Since arriving in Tijuana, the team has travelled between its hotel and training ground under armed escort.

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