Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the Gulf Cartel if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “JA Espinoza” from Matamoros.
MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas – The explosion caused by two grenades thrown by suspected cartel members at two federal buildings in this border city set off a massive deployment by federal and state forces on a manhunt to capture the suspects.
The grenade attacks took place on the same day that Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto visited the nearby border city of Reynosa to praise another infrastructure project.
The first grenade went off right outside of the National Elections Institute (INE) which is just yards away from the international bridge that connects this border city with Brownsville Texas.
Mexican federal investigators gather evidence after a grenade went off outside of a federal building in Matamoros
The second grenade went off at the entrance of the Federal Police Building (PFP) along Pedro Cardenas Boulevard which is on the city’s south side by the highway that leads to Ciudad Victoria.
According to preliminary information the first attack took place just after 6:30 p.m. at the INE with the other attack taking place just moments later by a second group outside of the PFP building.
For more than two hours authorities patrolled the skies with helicopters as they combed the perimeters set up around the city.
As a result of the grenade attacks, the Mayor of Matamoros Leticia Salazar issued a statement through her Facebook page acknowledging the attack and pointing them out as a clear provocation by the criminal element asking the residents to not take unnecessary risks and to take precautions.
In the short message the Mayor asks God to bless the city in a way that appears to acknowledge the chaos that this border city has been subjected to at the hands of rival factions from the Gulf Cartel who have been fighting for control of the region.
Matamoros Mayor Leticia Salazar took to social media to confirm the grenade attack in her city and to warn local residents.
Several hours after the attack the Tamaulipas government issued out a short news release confirming the attacks and pointing out that no civilians were injured in them. Shortly after the grenades had gone off, federal investigators were seen in the area collecting evidence and assessing the damage around the buildings which had been surrounded by military and police forces.
The grenade attack also set off a series of pursuits around the city, shortly after the explosions, a which SUV was seen speeding down Pedro Cardenas boulevard with four gunmen who were wearing tactical vest and appeared to have multiple radios on them, an eyewitness said.
The incident led to civilians seeing multiple vehicles packed with gunmen around the Enrique Cardenas neighborhood shortly after 7 p.m.; witnesses also reported seeing a taxi being set on fire around Modelo neighborhood.
Federal authorities guard one of the buildings attacked by cartel gunmen during a grenade attack in Matamoros.
Not far away from the burning Taxi witnesses reported seeing a white Chevrolet Avalanche picking up to men and then speeding off along Tamaulipas Avenue, not far from the Rio Grande.
Residents reported seeing multiple SUV’s with gunmen zooming back and forth around various avenues, while authorities continued their search for the suspects.