Updated

A Mexican judge has granted a founder of a self-defense movement in the western state of Michoacan his release on bond.

The Federal Judicial Council announced the decision without naming Jose Manuel Mireles, but a federal official not authorized to speak about the case confirmed it was Mireles.

Mireles had been jailed since June 2014. As of Thursday, he was still in a maximum security prison in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit.

Mireles had been a founder and the leader of the most prominent vigilante force that took up arms against the Knights Templar drug cartel in 2013.

Charges for illegal weapons possession remain against him. The judge requires that Mireles post 30,000 pesos (about $1,500) bond, periodically report to the court and not leave the state without permission.