Thread: Attackers in Mexico blow up nine electrical plants

Attackers in Mexico blow up nine electrical plants

Soldiers protect technicians at an energy station after it was attacked in the State of Michoacan, Mexico. (STRINGER / EPA / October 28, 2013)

By Tracy Wilkinson
October 27, 2013, 5:05 p.m.

MEXICO CITY -- Assailants early Sunday blew up at least nine electrical power plants in one of Mexico's largest states, triggering blackouts that gunmen then used as cover to torch gasoline stations, residents and authorities said.

The attacks in Michoacan state, west of the capital, did not cause deaths or serious injuries, authorities said. But they served as a pointed reminder of the strength of drug gangs and other criminals.

Shortly after midnight, attackers armed with Molotov cocktails almost simultaneously disabled electrical substations in at least nine cities and towns in Michoacan, plunging an estimated 1 million people into darkness. The power was out for 15 hours.

Gunmen then torched four gasoline stations, including two in the state capital of Morelia, a popular tourist destination.
Michoacan for years has been controlled either by the Knights Templar or its predecessor La Familia, cartels that specialize in methamphetamine exported to the United States and that have controlled many city halls and police departments. More recently, groups of citizens have taken up weapons to form self-defense squads against the traffickers.

It may have been one of these groups that briefly seized the city hall in the large town of Apatzingan, residents said.

Federal authorities said they were sending hundreds of police and military troops to reinforce security in the region. The attacks came barely two days after the state's governor, Fausto Vallejo, resumed duties after a long illness.

"The only thing we can conclude ... is that the organized criminals are winning the battle against federal and state authorities," Miguel Angel Chavez, head of the opposition National Action Party, told the Quadratin news agency, adding that the violence of the last 24 hours was a terrorist attack.

Organized criminals were suspected of unleashing a series of attacks on government forces in Michoacan in July that resulted in the deaths of 20 criminals and two federal police officers, according to the federal government.

http://www.latimes.com/world/worldno...#axzz2j2QKER6L

RELATED

http://www.alipac.us/f19/worries-ove...t-blow-290949/

Sounds like a dry run of what they are preparing to do to the United States for their North American Union building Chinese and Saudi masters!

W

Mexico drug cartel in conflict with self-defence groups in Michoacán state

Escalating dispute involving Knights Templar cartel triggers shootout in major city and attacks on region's power stations

• Jo Tuckman in Mexico City
• theguardian.com, Monday 28 October 2013 05.41 EDT

A number of petrol stations were also torched, including two in the state capital Morelia. Photograph: Reuters

The escalating conflict between self-defence groups from the western Mexican state of Michoacán and the Knights Templar drug cartel triggered a shootout in the centre of a major city and attacks on power stations leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity over the weekend.
The clashes were sparked on Saturday when self-defence groups formed in several outlying towns in the Tierra Caliente, or Hot Lands, region marched on Apatzingán, the biggest city in the area and a key bastion of the cartel.
The groups said they were marching because residents had asked for their support to set up a vigilante organisation to protect them from the extortion rackets, kidnappings and extreme violence meted out by the cartel, which acts as a de facto local government across much of the region. The protesters were stopped by the military at the entrance to Apatzingán, asked to leave their weapons behind and proceed unarmed, but promised protection.
Once in the centre of town, however, the marchers were showered with gunfire, some of which reportedly came from snipers positioned on the roof of the cathedral. A video of the events shows people running for cover while the federal police appear to fire back at the attackers. There were also reports of grenades thrown and at least three vehicles set alight.
The marchers withdrew at the end of the day, reporting three injuries. The movement's main leader, José Mireles, announced they had negotiated an agreement with the army promising more patrols around the city, as well of the inclusion of observers from the self-defence groups.
"We are going to make sure that organised crime is expelled from Apatzingán," he said. "They will try to respond."
The response began quickly with near simultaneous attacks on power plants around the state soon after midnight. At least four petrol stations were also torched, including two in the state capital, Morelia.
According to a report in the national Reforma newspaper, the attacks left more than 420,000 people without power, half of whom had their connection restored by the afternoon.
On Sunday, another group of counter-demonstrators took to the streets of Apatzingán and marched on the local army base demanding the withdrawal of federal support for the vigilante self-defence groups. Some held a large banner that read: "Violence and chaos has arrived in Apatzingán. The army brought it and has accompanied it all the way."
Simultaneously, reports emerged of five young men found shot dead in outlying areas of the city. The national newspaper El Universal cited local authorities saying they were wearing self-defence group T-shirts.
Two more people were shot dead elsewhere in the region, reportedly in a shootout between the army and gunmen in a vehicle.
A statement released by the interior ministry on Sunday night, however, made no mention of the reported shootings. The ministry has been co-ordinating a major deployment of federal forces in the region since May that has so far failed to bring the peace it promised.
The ministry statement instead focused on Saturday's march by the self-defence groups: "The opportune intervention of the army, the federal police and the local authorities was able to re-establish public order.
"The actions of the criminals will not stop the actions of the government to protect the population," it said.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/28/mexico-drug-cartel-self-defence-groups-michoacan

The drug gang calls itself the "Knights Templar" ?? O.o Doesn't make much sense to me.

I wonder if these stories will make the mainstream media.

Originally Posted by jam123

The drug gang calls itself the "Knights Templar" ?? O.o Doesn't make much sense to me. . .

Knights Templar Cartel

From Wikipedia,

The Knights Templar Cartel (Spanish: Caballeros Templarios) is a Mexican criminal organization composed of remnants of the defunct La Familia Michoacana drug cartel based in the Mexican state of Michoacán.^[3][4]

After the death of Nazario Moreno González, leader of the La Familia Michoacana cartel,^[4] the other cartel co-founders, Enrique Plancarte Solís and Servando Gómez Martínez, formed an offshoot of La Familia calling itself Caballeros Templarios (or Knights Templar).^[3][4][5] Dionicio Loya Plancarte would also join.^[6]

The Knights Templar Cartel indoctrinates its operatives to "fight and die" for "social justice".^[7] They have taken full control of the now extinct La Familia Michoacana operations in states including Michoacán, Guerrero, State of Mexico, and Morelos. Its armed wing is La Resistencia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Templar_Cartel

Originally Posted by jam123

. . . I wonder if these stories will make the mainstream media.

The articles above are from The L.A. TIMES and The Guardian. It's already in The Chicago Tribune too.

1. National News & World News - chicagotribune.com
   
   www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/‎
   Attackers in Mexico blow up nine electrical plants. MEXICO CITY -- Assailants early Sunday blew up at least nine electrical power plants in one of Mexico's ...

Realtime Coverage

REFILE-Mexico beefs up security after attacks on state energy firms Reuters - ‎1 hour ago‎ Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:12pm EDT. By Lizbeth Diaz. MEXICO CITY Oct 28 (Reuters) - Mexico has stepped up security in a troubled western region after a string of attacks on electricity installations at the weekend that temporarily knocked out power for hundreds of ... Al Jazeera America The Guardian Latin Times Capital FM Kenya Latin American Herald Tribune World news in briefs Arizona Daily Star - ‎14 minutes ago‎ Violence in Mexico's Michoacan state leaves at least 5 dead Los Angeles Times - ‎23 minutes ago‎ Mexican Drug Cartel Attacks: 11 Towns Left Without Power In Michoacan State ... Latin Times - ‎1 hour ago‎ Nine power substations in Mexico blown up, causing 15-hour blackout UPI.com - ‎2 hours ago‎ Vigilantes Kill 5 Suspected Drug Traffickers in Mexico Latin American Herald Tribune - ‎2 hours ago‎ Violence in Mexico's Michoacan state leaves at least 5 dead Los Angeles Times - ‎23 minutes ago‎ MEXICO CITY -- At least five people were killed in a spasm of violence that shook one of Mexico's largest states over the weekend, authorities said Monday. Gunmen on Sunday blew up 18 electrical substations -- twice the originally reported number -- and ... Mexico Drug Clashes Lead to Deaths, Power Outages Wall Street Journal - ‎5 hours ago‎ MORELIA, Mexico—Five men have been found dead and power has been cut to hundreds of thousands of residents of the western Mexico state of Michoacan, following clashes in which self-described “self-defense” forces are seeking to oust the Knights ... Attackers in Mexico blow up nine electrical plants Los Angeles Times - ‎Oct 27, 2013‎ MEXICO CITY -- Assailants early Sunday blew up at least nine electrical power plants in one of Mexico's largest states, triggering blackouts that gunmen then used as cover to torch gasoline stations, residents and authorities said. The attacks in Michoacan ... Mexican vigilantes take on drug cartels - and worry authorities The Guardian - ‎3 hours ago‎ Self-defence forces gather near Buenavista in Michoacan, Mexico, part of a growing movement of militias taking on the drug cartels. Photograph: ZUMA/REX. With their scuffed shoes, baggy trousers and single shot hunting guns, the eight men preparing to ... Mexico Drug Cartel Attack Leaves 11 Towns Without Electricity, Knights Templar ... Huffington Post - ‎9 hours ago‎ Unidentified assailants armed with guns and Molotov cocktails attacked power stations in a violence-torn western Mexican state Sunday, leaving 11 towns without electricity in a suspected drug cartel attack. The interior ministry said in a statement that national ... See all 27 articles »