Mexican senator denies rebel allegations

MEXICO CITY, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- A prominent Mexican senator is denying allegations he leads a major rebel group that executed several bombing attacks last month.

Sen. Rene Arce Islas admits he was once part of a rebel group in the 1970s, though denounced a recent magazine report he was the leader of the Popular Revolutionary Army, or EPR, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The EPR acknowledged engineering a series of bombing attacks last month on state-run gas pipelines in central Mexico.

Islas also said he ran for office last year under an assumed name. His real name is Oscar Nahum Cirigo Vazquez, according to a popular online magazine in Mexico.