Terrorist Bomb Intended for 12-story police headquarters In Mexico City
by Michael Webster: Investigative Reporter

Quoting anonymous federal and local officials the Mexico City newspaper El Universal, reported in Saturday's editions that Friday's bomber intended to plant the homemade device in the 12-story police headquarters but accidentally detonated it 200 yards away.

The massive explosion blew out windows in apartment buildings, damaged several cars and caused panic in the American La Rosa area of Mexico City.

El Universal identified the Sinaloa cartel, led by Joaqu�*n "El Chapo" Guzmán and the Beltrán Leyva brothers, as the "intellectual authors" of the botched attack.

Suspicion is that this was a type of terrorist attack by a possible suicide bomber and the dead man was the cause of the explosion. Mexico City Police Chief Joel Ortega, during a television interview late Friday, said the man killed in the blast was wearing a dress suit over a sweat suit. He said the bomber probably planned to plant the device and then take off the dress suit to fool people monitoring security cameras.

A 22-year-old woman believed to have accompanied the bomber was seriously injured in the blast and could hold the key to the investigation, Chief Ortega added.

Mexican media said the woman lived in a neighborhood awash in illegal drugs and near a Sinaloa cartel operative arrested last week by Mexico City officials.

Mexican officials was not certain that this bomb attack was a suicide attack or just a terrorist bomber. According to bomb experts suicide bomber is an attack on a military or civilian target, in which an attacker intends to kill others, knowing that he or she will either certainly or most likely die in the process. Most suicide bombers attach bomb vests to their body and detonate the bomb. This means of attack have included vehicles filled with explosives, passenger planes carrying large amounts of fuel, and individuals wearing vests filled with explosives. Synonyms include suicide-homicide bombing, martyrdom operations, predatory martyrdom. Strictly speaking, an attack may not be considered a suicide attack if the attacker is not killed (although they might hope and plan to be), or if there is some question as to whether their intention is to be killed even if the attack is certain to kill them.

A top Mexican military official has ruled out the use of soldiers to reinforce security in the Mexican capital, because he believes it was apparently a bungled attack on police headquarters by the suspected bomber who blew himself up and injured his female accomplice.

Navy Minister Francisco Saynez discounted speculation that drug gangs orchestrated the attack in response to a series of raids against them in Mexico City, which had been relatively immune from cartel violence.

"They don't attack strategic installations," Mr. Saynez told reporters after a Navy ceremony. "They use other methods."

But Arturo Yañez, who trains Mexico City detectives and has worked in federal law enforcement, said the bombing attempt looked too amateurish for sophisticated drug cartels, which have carried out surgical strikes against top law enforcement officials.

A more likely suspect is the Popular Revolutionary Army, or EPR, Mr. Yañez added.

The EPR declared a campaign against government installations last year, demanding that two of its leaders be released from federal detention. Even though federal authorities say they are not holding the two men.

In the mean time violence continues in Mexico City and to the border cities to the north. In La Jornada Local legislators have asked the governor of Baja California to urgently revise the "Public Security State System" due to the levels of violence in this border area.. Deputy Carlos Barboza pointed out that business people and non-governmental organizations complain about the increase in kidnappings in Tijuana, Juarez, Mexicali and other border towns. He added that this growing violence harms society and families. "No one is safe from its repercussions." Further, that law and order have been overwhelmed and thus it is urgent to find a solution with the participation of various sectors of society and politicians. He labeled as "alarming" the week about to end, during which there have been a number of kidnappings, shootouts and homicides.

Today in La Cronica Mexicali, three Mexican Federal Agents who had just arrived in Tijuana were kidnapped and their bodies were found at dawn yesterday by a dirt road on the outskirts of Tecate, Baja Calif.; the three had their arms tied behind their back and their heads had been wrapped with tape. They had all had been shot in the head and the empty cartridges by the bodies are of AK47 combat rifle casings.

The Chief of Police of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Juan Jose Muniz Salinas, was arrested by Mex. federal police and has been taken to Mexico City. Though not yet formally charged, his arrest is based on the belief that he was protecting the "Zetas" thugs. The police facility's radio frequencies were also believed to be compromised and are being investigated.

Sources:
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FORMER BORDER PATROL OFFICERS
Dallas Morning Star
Laguna Journal
Mexican Government
Mexico City Police Dept.
http://www.borderfirereport.net/michael ... -city.html