Mexican Cartel Grenade Attack Injures Four, Creates Panic at Border

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 Reynosa’s “AC Del Angel” and JA Espinoza form Matamoros

MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas — Cartel gunmen once again threw two grenades at public structures, one of which landed in a Federal Courthouse in this border city, injuring innocent civilians and causing panic among unsuspecting residents.

The first attack was carried out near the intersection of Solernau street and Del Maestro Avenue, where gunmen believed to be affiliated with the Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel threw a grenade that fortunately did not detonate.

The attack nevertheless triggered a wave of fear that overtook the city, as authorities sealed off the area and disarmed the device, while the Tamaulipas government issued an alert through social media, warning residents to avoid the area.

Hours later, a loud explosion went off right outside the Federal Courthouse in Matamoros, where cartel gunmen threw a grenade that did explode, injuring three city employees and a civilian who was traveling along the busy intersection. The grenade went off by the intersection of Pedro Cardenas and Longoria Avenues, spreading further panic among residents of the area.

This recent attack adds yet another strike targeted at federal government buildings following those recently undertaken at the National Electoral Institute, the federal police headquarters as well as the grenade attack that didn’t explode outside of a local flea market next to the federal courthouse.

This recent attack comes just days before the State of Tamaulipas is set to have federal elections which has added yet another layer of fear and speculation.

According to official information released about the case, the grenade that went off outside the federal building was thrown from a white Chevrolet Cavalier and a cherry red Pontiac.

Federal, state, and local authorities rushed to seal off the area, while emergency personnel tended to the four victims struck by grenade shrapnel.  Preliminary information identifies the three courthouse employees as Gerardo Aguilar Zamudio, Martha Chavarria and Leopoldo Arturo Esperanza Leon while the injured passerby was identified as 43 year old Ramon Martinez Cruz.

The health status of the victims remains listed as serious conditions since the shrapnel struck them in the chest, legs and abdomen.  Information provided to Breitbart Texas by health officials at the Red Cross point to at least two individuals being taken to local hospitals with injuries that appear to have been from the grenade blast. Tamaulipas authorities had no information about those individuals.

At the scene of the blast, Mexican marines sealed off the areas and reviewed the security footage while federal investigators carried out their initial queries. The attack also damaged two vehicles which had their windows blown out and sustained multiple holes caused by the flying shrapnel.

Grenade attacks have become all too common in this border city, as a result of what appears to be an effort by one faction of the Gulf Cartel to sic law enforcement on their rivals.

Just one day after the attack, a message spread on social media where the leader of the Los Ciclones faction of the Gulf Cartel a man known as Ciclon 7 is quoted as taking responsibility for the attacks and warns authorities to back off or else.

Sources consulted by Breitbart Texas point out that the attacks appear to be carried out by the Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel in Reynosa, which as previously reported has been at war with the Los Ciclones faction and would be the ones to benefit the most by sending authorities after Ciclon 7.

The Metros faction has been the target of several operations in recent weeks, which have included the dismantling of their camera surveillance system in the city, the destruction of their radio communication network, and the near-capture of their commander, as Breitbart Texas previously reported.