Patriotic Revelers Killed in Mexico Leader’s Hometown
Agencia Quadratin/Associated Press
Injured people at a public square after two explosions rocked an Independence Day celebration in Morelia, Mexico on Monday.
Agencia Quadratin/Associated Press
Injured people at a public square after two explosions rocked an Independence Day celebration in Morelia, Mexico on Monday.
MEXICO CITY — Explosions apparently caused by lobbed grenades tore through a crowded Independence Day celebration in the Mexican state of Michoacan late Monday night, killing at least seven people, injuring more than 100 others and casting a pall over a country that has experienced unprecedented levels of violence in recent months.
The authorities said it was unclear who lofted the grenades into the crowd of celebrants, but suspicion immediately fell on the drug cartels based in the region that have been targeted by President Felipe Calderón’s government.
The attack took place in Mr. Calderón’s hometown of Morelia, in the central square not far from where he grew up. If drug gangs were responsible, it would be their most brazen act to date, one that targeted innocents and was clearly meant to send a haunting message to the country.
An emotional Mr. Calderón, who has sent thousands of soldiers to Michoacan and other drug hotspots to combat narcotics traffickers, delivered a nationwide address Tuesday denouncing those responsible and calling on Mexicans to unite against them.
“On this national holiday there are cowards hidden in the crowds of patriotic people that have converted joy into sadness and the happiness of Mexican families into sorrow,” he said.
Photographs from the scene showed what resembled a war zone, with bodies scattered across a stone plaza stained with pools of blood. Initial reports had three people dead but the toll rose throughout the day.
“First one person went down and then it was like domino pieces,” a witness, Juan Jose Rosales, told El Universal newspaper.
The first explosion hit just after 11 p.m. as bells began to ring across Mexico and Gov. Leonel Godoy of Michoacan was delivering the traditional shout for independence, known as the “grito,” before thousands of boisterous revelers.
Across the country, Mexicans were packed together in plazas to celebrate Miguel Hidalgo’s call for independence in 1810. The Roman Catholic priest launched a revolt against Spanish rule on Sept. 15 by ringing a bell and shouting “Viva Mexico!”
The event is reenacted every year by flag-waving Mexicans in what is one of the country’s most cherished traditions.
But in Morelia an explosion rang out just as the bells did on Monday night. Then there was an additional blast. Pandemonium broke out. The resulting cries were not of patriotic fervor but of panic and pain.
“Without a doubt, we think that it was organized crime, although this is being investigated by the attorney general’s office,” Mr. Godoy said in a television interview. He later said that witnesses had seen a well-dressed man dressed in black hurl one of the explosives.
The country has experienced a spate of awful attacks in recent months, although most have appeared to be drug gangs targeting law enforcement officials or rival drug gangs. On Friday, police found 24 bodies dumped near the capital in what was one of the largest mass killings ever. A dozen decapitated corpses had been discovered weeks before.
Mexico is the primary trafficking route for Colombian drug cartels moving their contraband into the United States. Since taking office nearly two years ago, Mr. Calderón has deployed federal police and soldiers throughout the countryside to take on traffickers. The authorities attribute the spike in the killings to desperation among the cartels, who once had operated with impunity.
The authorities said it was unclear who lofted the grenades into the crowd of celebrants, but suspicion immediately fell on the drug cartels based in the region that have been targeted by President Felipe Calderón’s government.
The attack took place in Mr. Calderón’s hometown of Morelia, in the central square not far from where he grew up. If drug gangs were responsible, it would be their most brazen act to date, one that targeted innocents and was clearly meant to send a haunting message to the country.
An emotional Mr. Calderón, who has sent thousands of soldiers to Michoacan and other drug hotspots to combat narcotics traffickers, delivered a nationwide address Tuesday denouncing those responsible and calling on Mexicans to unite against them.
“On this national holiday there are cowards hidden in the crowds of patriotic people that have converted joy into sadness and the happiness of Mexican families into sorrow,” he said.
Photographs from the scene showed what resembled a war zone, with bodies scattered across a stone plaza stained with pools of blood. Initial reports had three people dead but the toll rose throughout the day.
“First one person went down and then it was like domino pieces,” a witness, Juan Jose Rosales, told El Universal newspaper.
The first explosion hit just after 11 p.m. as bells began to ring across Mexico and Gov. Leonel Godoy of Michoacan was delivering the traditional shout for independence, known as the “grito,” before thousands of boisterous revelers.
Across the country, Mexicans were packed together in plazas to celebrate Miguel Hidalgo’s call for independence in 1810. The Roman Catholic priest launched a revolt against Spanish rule on Sept. 15 by ringing a bell and shouting “Viva Mexico!”
The event is reenacted every year by flag-waving Mexicans in what is one of the country’s most cherished traditions.
But in Morelia an explosion rang out just as the bells did on Monday night. Then there was an additional blast. Pandemonium broke out. The resulting cries were not of patriotic fervor but of panic and pain.
“Without a doubt, we think that it was organized crime, although this is being investigated by the attorney general’s office,” Mr. Godoy said in a television interview. He later said that witnesses had seen a well-dressed man dressed in black hurl one of the explosives.
The country has experienced a spate of awful attacks in recent months, although most have appeared to be drug gangs targeting law enforcement officials or rival drug gangs. On Friday, police found 24 bodies dumped near the capital in what was one of the largest mass killings ever. A dozen decapitated corpses had been discovered weeks before.
Mexico is the primary trafficking route for Colombian drug cartels moving their contraband into the United States. Since taking office nearly two years ago, Mr. Calderón has deployed federal police and soldiers throughout the countryside to take on traffickers. The authorities attribute the spike in the killings to desperation among the cartels, who once had operated with impunity.
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