Jun 28, 2005

Assailants Toss Grenade Into Mexican Police Station, Wounding Three Officers
The Associated Press


ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) - Three police officers were wounded on Tuesday when assailants tossed a hand grenade into a police post in the Pacific coast tourist resort of Zihuatanejo.
Police said they had arrested five suspects, but did not speculate on the motive for the attack, which occurred on the tenth anniversary of a notorious massacre in southern Guerrero state.

One of the officers reportedly lost an arm in the attack and was taken to a hospital in the nearby resort of Acapulco for treatment.

The attack occurred at a police post on the highway just outside Zihuatanejo, said city Public Safety Director Fernando Barrientos.

"They threw the grenade from one of two passing cars," Barrientos said. "Other policemen went after the attackers."

Police sources said a threatening call had been received shortly before the attack from a man who identified himself as a member of the People's Revolutionary Army, a leftist guerrilla organization whose Spanish initials are EPR.

The EPR, which has attacked police stations near beach resorts in Guerrero state before, appeared on the first anniversary of a state police massacre of 17 farm workers in the rural Guerrero crossroads of Aguas Blancas on June 28, 1995.

Also Tuesday, in an apparently unrelated attack, one policeman was shot to death by unidentified assailants at a police station in Acapulco.

AP-ES-06-28-05 2302EDT

This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBIUUFZIAE.html