Snipers killed at least 13 police and government officials in an ambush outside Mexico City on Thursday (18), in one of the largest attacks in the country in recent years.
The attack took place in the municipality of Coatepec Harinas, about 130 km from the Mexican capital. At around 1 p.m., a police convoy carrying out a routine patrol was ambushed by criminals, who had large caliber weapons. So much so that the officers’ bulletproof vests could not withstand the fire.
Then the criminals came across a van in which three prosecutors were traveling. They were also murdered. In all, 13 people died, including police and other state officials.
Images from the scene, published by Mexican press and social media, show a police car and truck full of bullets, as well as police bodies lying on the ground or even inside vehicles.
“This attack is an affront to the Mexican state. We will respond with all the force and support of the law,” said Rodrigo Martinez-Celis, security secretary of the state where the affair occurred. He called the snipers cowards and promised them they would not go unpunished.
The National Guard and the armed forces are looking for the perpetrators, who have not been identified.
It is not yet known how many criminals died in the clash and if any of the country’s drug trafficking cartels are involved. In the area where the attack took place, drug traffickers are present.