A grenade attack on the U.S. Consulate General in Guadalajara on Friday evening may have been ordered by the leader of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), many Mexican newspapers are reporting.
The violent drug cartel, however. appears to disclaim responsibility for the attack.
Two explosive devices were thrown into the consulate compound just before 11 p.m., causing minimal damage, reports said.
No one was injured in the attack, which took place well after the diplomatic mission had closed for the day.
At first, local police called to the scene believed someone had lobbed firecrackers into the consulate compound. According to reports, federal investigators later revealed they had recovered fragments of two grenades, one of U.S. origin and the other from South Korea.
Mexico City-based daily La Jornada quoted “sources close to the case” who had reviewed surveillance footage showing the culprit to be a single, unidentified man, who quickly fled the scene after detonating the devices.
Various news sources have speculated that the attack was the work of the CJNG, whose leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (“El Mencho”), has been targeted by U.S. authorities, with a $US10 million bounty placed on his head.
A video posted on social media in November shows a badly beaten man, with his hands tied and a bandage over his head and one eye, talking of how Oseguera Cervantes had ordered a bomb to be placed at the Guadalajara consulate, as a warning to “leave Señor Mencho in peace.”
Family members and associates of “El Mencho” have also been targeted and sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department through the Kingpin Act.
At least four banners strung up at various locations in the Guadalajara metropolitan area early Thursday contained messages disclaiming any involvement by the CJNG in the attack on the consulate. Federal authorities are continuing to investigate.
The consulate announced Tuesday that the FBI is offering a reward up to $US20,000 in exchange for information leading to the identification and arrest of this individual or group responsible for the attack. They are asking for anyone with information about this incident or as to the identity or the whereabouts of this individual to contact investigators at a toll free number 001-800-225-5324 or (33) 3268-2349. All information can remain anonymous and confidentiality is guaranteed, the press bulletin said.
The Guadalajara Consulate opened for business Monday, December 3, and has been working on a normal schedule this week. However, a beefed-up security presence has been much in evidence, with both additional state police and Mexican military personnel on duty.
The consulate had not responded to a request for information from this newspaper about additional security measures for the general public using the facility by the time this edition went to press.