09/01/10 – Early this morning, unknown individuals shot at the Noroeste newspaper installations at the port of Mazatlán, Sinaloa. No casualties were reported. According to a report disseminated by authorities, the attack occurred at 00:20 hours. The newspaper had received threats via telephone calls three hours before the shooting occurred. Witnesses place two shooters at the scene that fired at the building at least sixty times with assault riffles. By that time there were no personnel inside the building.
After the shooting, the attackers hung a message up accusing the Calderón administration of protecting the Sinaloa Cartel (Cártel de Sinaloa). It gave an account of recent violent events at the port and highlighted the June 14 slaughter of 29 inmates of the Mazatlán prison.
The callers that threatened the newspaper identified themselves as members of the cartel organization La Línea, the armed unit of the Juárez cartel. The callers demanded that the news agency report on the criminal activities of the Sinaloa Cartel and gave them information of an alleged homicide.
Sources:
Milenio. “Balean las instalaciones del periódico Noroeste de Mazatlán.” Dossier Politico. 01 Septiembre, 2010.
El Universal / SERM. “Comando ataca a diario Noroeste en Mazatlán.” Informador. 01 Septiembre, 2010.
