Two Bombs Rock Mexico City
Mexico City.
Feb. 15 — Two bombs exploded this afternoon near a police building in the heart of Mexico City, killing one person and injuring at least one more.
The blast occurred near the intersections of Florencia and Chapultepec streets in the city’s Zona Rosa neighborhood, a district popular with tourists south of the main business area.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility. More than 2,000 people were killed last year in violence related to drug trafficking, and there have recently been high profile arrests in the capital. Mexico also is home to a rebel group known as the EPR that bombed oil pipelines last year
Joel Ortega, head of Mexico City’s security secretariat, said the man killed in the blast may have been carrying an explosive device when it detonated. A 30-year-old woman who was injured and taken to a hospital with burns asked questions about the dead man, he said in an interview on CNN en Espanol.
Ortega said that one of the bombs was homemade and probably detonated by a mobile phone, El Universal newspaper said on its Web site.
Several cars at the scene appeared damaged by the blast, and more than 100 police were in the area controlling traffic and keeping bystanders away. Bomb technicians were also in the area.
Witness
Arturo Escanilla was working at a restaurant on the same block and said it sounded like a lightning strike. He felt his building shake.
“All the windows broke, I was a little afraid,” he said.
The explosions occurred about 200 meters (650 feet) away from a main police building.
A rebel group called the Popular Revolutionary Army, or EPR, bombed Petroleos Mexicanos pipelines in July and September. No one was injured. The group released a statement last month saying they would warn the government about future attacks.
President Felipe Calderon has sent thousands of troops to patrol northern border cities where drug violence between rival cartels claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people last year. In the last month, federal police have arrested dozens of people they say are members of the Sinaloa in Mexico City. Those arrested were found with arsenals of automatic weapons, grenade launchers and bullet-proof vests.
(Bloomberg)
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Too many refried beans, perhaps?
Sorry, I know that was in poor taste, but couldn’t resist.
Have a great Friday evening, everyone, I know I will!
February 15th, 2008 at 2:41 pmDrug Cartel….they hit a govt bulding I bet. They’re not fond of the turn towards less coruption in government, this was their retort. I could be wrong but that is my bet.
February 15th, 2008 at 2:45 pmIf this shit happens there then it can happen here. Lock the damn border! now
February 15th, 2008 at 2:57 pmIt’s called refritos.
February 15th, 2008 at 3:02 pmBelieve it happened in Oklahoma already.
February 15th, 2008 at 3:02 pmClose the borders is a great idea. Seems to me anything that happens in Mexico is related to the cartels in some way.
It’ll spill over the border eventually. We do have our occasional crazies, like the eco-terrorists, PETA, Ted Kazinski and McVeigh.
But we’ve yet to experience the kind of chaos that Mexico does, or Columbia or Israel.
Close the borders, do it now while we still got some control over them.
February 15th, 2008 at 4:14 pmDamned stupid wrong numbers can ruin a terrorist’s whole day.
February 15th, 2008 at 6:24 pmUp late with Mcneil Lerher going on the side when during a report on Mexico they said that 11% of the population of Mexico lives in the US.
February 16th, 2008 at 12:52 amCRAP