A lunchtime blast that killed one and injured two on Chapultepec Ave. in the Roma district near Mexico City’s tony Zona Rosa Feb. 15 was the work of narco gangs and not leftist guerillas, authorities say. Federal District police say the bomb contained C4 explosive of the type used by the Mexican military. They also note that the blast came two days after Federal District police uncovered an “arsenal” in the nearby Portales district and arrested nine men they said were linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. The bomb went off some 150 meters from the headquarters of the Federal District Public Security Secretariat (SSP-DF), which authorities say was the intended target. (La Jornada, El Universal, Milenio, Feb. 16)
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Federal District Prosecutor General Rodolfo Félix Cárdenas said Feb. 20 thqat a particular police official had been identified as the intended target of the blast, and that six more people are being sought in connection with the attempted assassination.
The bomber who died has been identified as Juan Manuel Meza Campos, 44. Prosecutors say a woman injured in the blast, Tania Vázquez Muñoz, 22, was shown accompanying Meza, arm in arm, by a video surveillance camera just before the bomb exploded. She is now considered a suspect, authorities said. Cárdenas said Meza (alias “El Pipén”) had links to drug dealers in the capital’s high-crime district of Tepito.
“The investigation is very advanced,” said Mayor Marcelo Ebrard. “We know the target was a high-ranking official of the Public Safety Ministry.” He added: “If their aim is to intimidate us they are not going to succeed.” (NYT, Feb. 21)