12 taxi drivers, fares killed in Mexican resort (AP)

ACAPULCO, Mexico – A spate of attacks on taxis in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco has left 12 taxi drivers or passengers dead, police said Sunday, just hours before the Mexican Open tennis tournament is scheduled to start.
Acapulco has been the scene of bloody drug cartel turf wars, and taxi drivers have often been targeted for extortion or recruited by the gangs to act as lookouts or transport drugs.
The organizers of the largest tennis tournament in Latin America said in a statement Sunday that the Mexican government has assured them that appropriate security measures have been taken for the event that starts Monday.
Police in Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located, said that four suspects had been detained in relation with some of the attacks. The suspects had guns, a grenade and a machete that police say may have been used to decapitate some of the victims.
The attacks began Friday, when five taxi drivers were found dead in or near their vehicles.
The slaughter continued Saturday, when a driver was found bound and shot to death near his taxi, and two others were found dead of bullet wounds inside their vehicles. One of the drivers had been beheaded.
Gunmen opened fire on yet another taxi, killing the driver and three passengers.
On Sunday, the violence came closer to the city's tourist zone, where the tennis matches are held. Five cars were set afire and a man's body was found hacked to pieces outside an apartment building.
Dozens of cars have been set ablaze in Acapulco in recent days, for reasons that are not entirely clear.
Tournament organizers at the Association of Tennis Professionals, in a statement sent to The Associated Press, said the group had received assurances from all levels of the Mexican government.
"Following an independent security assessment and discussions with tournament organizers, we are satisfied that responsible measures are being taken, and that the event has the full support of the authorities of Acapulco, the state of Guerrero, and the Mexican federal government," the statement said.
Players have received e-mails from the ATP about the situation, cautioning them about going out and suggesting they stay near their hotel. It has also been suggested they arrive as late as possible and leave once eliminated.
Tournament organizers have played down the security concerns, pointing out that the International Olympic Committee and President Jacques Rogge held their executive board meeting in the coastal resort in October.
Argentine player David Nalbandian said Saturday that he was thinking about withdrawing since he already has a groin injury and could use the rest before Argentina's Davis Cup match against Romania March 4-6.
"It's a great and enjoyable tournament to play," said Nalbandian, who was beaten on Saturday by Tommy Robredo in the quarterfinals of the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires.
"But for right now it's a little more difficult because of the security situation. We (players) are a bit scared about this and we're trying to decide what to do."
Tournament director Raul Zurutuza later confirmed Nalbandian's withdrawal. He said the danger was being exaggerated and complained about communications from the ATP and the WTA, which will also play a Mexico tournament.
"It is being blown out of proportion — what is going on, that we are concerned about the violence," Zurutuza said. "We are. But in the context of tennis being played, I believe a great week awaits us."
Spanish player David Ferrer, winner of the last Acapulco tournament, downplayed the danger.
"I think things are being greatly exaggerated," Ferrer said. "We tennis players have all the guarantees" for personal safety.
View the original article here

6 dead, 37 injured in attack on Mexican nightclub (AP)

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Armed men opened fire and hurled a grenade into a crowded nightclub early Saturday, killing six people and wounding at least 37 in a western city whose former tranquility has been shattered by escalating battles among drug cartels.

The attack in Mexico's second-largest municipality took place just hours after a shootout between soldiers and presumed cartel gunmen left eight people, including an innocent driver, dead in the northeastern city of Monterrey. Monterrey is Mexico's third-largest city.

In the Guadalajara attack, assailants in a Jeep Cherokee and a taxi drove up to the Butter Club, located in a bar and restaurant district popular with young people, and sprayed it with bullets.

Some of the men then got out of the taxi and threw a grenade into the nightclub entrance, said a police official, who spoke to news media at the scene and left without giving his name. The gunmen fled after the pre-dawn attack, he said.

Three were killed at the scene and three more died later in hospitals, said Medical Services Director Yannick Nordin. A Venezuelan and a Colombian were among the dead.

In a press conference led by state Attorney General Tomas Coronado Olmos, authorities said the attack may have been the result of a fight between two groups hours earlier in the trendy disco. Some of the people left and returned to attack the others.

State authorities said they are studying surveillance video from inside the nightclub to help determine what happened.

While there have been isolated grenade attacks around the city, Saturday's was the first to be thrown into a crowd and cause so many injuries.

The U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara recently warned U.S. citizens not to drive at night in parts of the city after suspected drug-gang members burned vehicles and blocked streets.

Such alerts have become common for highways in some areas of northern and western Mexico, but not for Guadalajara, which is known more for its mariachi music and tequila than as a focal point of a drug war that has claimed nearly 35,000 lives since 2006.

But in recent months the picturesque colonial city has come to resemble embattled areas of northern Mexico — including the state of Nuevo Leon, where Monterrey is located.

Seven presumed cartel gunmen were shot dead by soldiers near Monterrey during a chase and shootout just after midnight Friday. A civilian was also killed when the gunmen crashed into his car as they tried to flee soldiers.

A soldier and a state police officer were wounded during the clash in the suburban city of San Nicolas, the military said in a news release.

Soldiers also freed a woman who is presumed to have been kidnapped and was traveling in one of the vehicles. Two other vehicles, carrying an unknown number of attackers, escaped, and there were no arrests, said a spokesman for the state public security office, who was not authorized to give his name.

Nuevo Leon has been hit by a wave of drug-fueled violence in recent years as the Gulf Cartel battles a gang of its former enforcers known as the Zetas.

The cartels have staged a bloody turf war over drug peddling points and smuggling routes to the U.S. border 125 miles (200 kilometers) to the north, and clashes with the military and police have become almost a daily occurrence in and around Monterrey.

In Guadalajara, the violence has heated up just in the past few months from cartels warring for turf. The city is key to western drug routes once controlled by former Sinaloa leader Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, who was killed in a gunbattle with soldiers in July.

_____

Associated Press writer Mark Walsh in Monterrey, Mexico, contributed to this report.

View the original article here

6 dead, 37 injured in attack on Mexican nightclub (AP)

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Armed men opened fire and hurled a grenade into a crowded nightclub early Saturday, killing six people and wounding at least 37 in a western city whose former tranquility has been shattered by escalating battles among drug cartels.

The attack in Mexico's second-largest municipality took place just hours after a shootout between soldiers and presumed cartel gunmen left eight people, including an innocent driver, dead in the northeastern city of Monterrey. Monterrey is Mexico's third-largest city.

In the Guadalajara attack, assailants in a Jeep Cherokee and a taxi drove up to the Butter Club, located in a bar and restaurant district popular with young people, and sprayed it with bullets.

Some of the men then got out of the taxi and threw a grenade into the nightclub entrance, said a police official, who spoke to news media at the scene and left without giving his name. The gunmen fled after the pre-dawn attack, he said.

Three were killed at the scene and three more died later in hospitals, said Medical Services Director Yannick Nordin. A Venezuelan and a Colombian were among the dead.

In a press conference led by state Attorney General Tomas Coronado Olmos, authorities said the attack may have been the result of a fight between two groups hours earlier in the trendy disco. Some of the people left and returned to attack the others.

State authorities said they are studying surveillance video from inside the nightclub to help determine what happened.

While there have been isolated grenade attacks around the city, Saturday's was the first to be thrown into a crowd and cause so many injuries.

The U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara recently warned U.S. citizens not to drive at night in parts of the city after suspected drug-gang members burned vehicles and blocked streets.

Such alerts have become common for highways in some areas of northern and western Mexico, but not for Guadalajara, which is known more for its mariachi music and tequila than as a focal point of a drug war that has claimed nearly 35,000 lives since 2006.

But in recent months the picturesque colonial city has come to resemble embattled areas of northern Mexico — including the state of Nuevo Leon, where Monterrey is located.

Seven presumed cartel gunmen were shot dead by soldiers near Monterrey during a chase and shootout just after midnight Friday. A civilian was also killed when the gunmen crashed into his car as they tried to flee soldiers.

A soldier and a state police officer were wounded during the clash in the suburban city of San Nicolas, the military said in a news release.

Soldiers also freed a woman who is presumed to have been kidnapped and was traveling in one of the vehicles. Two other vehicles, carrying an unknown number of attackers, escaped, and there were no arrests, said a spokesman for the state public security office, who was not authorized to give his name.

Nuevo Leon has been hit by a wave of drug-fueled violence in recent years as the Gulf Cartel battles a gang of its former enforcers known as the Zetas.

The cartels have staged a bloody turf war over drug peddling points and smuggling routes to the U.S. border 125 miles (200 kilometers) to the north, and clashes with the military and police have become almost a daily occurrence in and around Monterrey.

In Guadalajara, the violence has heated up just in the past few months from cartels warring for turf. The city is key to western drug routes once controlled by former Sinaloa leader Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, who was killed in a gunbattle with soldiers in July.

_____

Associated Press writer Mark Walsh in Monterrey, Mexico, contributed to this report.

View the original article here

6 dead, 37 injured in attack on Mexican nightclub (AP)

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Armed men opened fire and hurled a grenade into a crowded nightclub early Saturday, killing six people and wounding at least 37 in a western city whose former tranquility has been shattered by escalating battles among drug cartels.
The attack in Mexico's second-largest municipality took place just hours after a shootout between soldiers and presumed cartel gunmen left eight people, including an innocent driver, dead in the northeastern city of Monterrey. Monterrey is Mexico's third-largest city.
In the Guadalajara attack, assailants in a Jeep Cherokee and a taxi drove up to the Butter Club, located in a bar and restaurant district popular with young people, and sprayed it with bullets.
Some of the men then got out of the taxi and threw a grenade into the nightclub entrance, said a police official, who spoke to news media at the scene and left without giving his name. The gunmen fled after the pre-dawn attack, he said.
Three were killed at the scene and three more died later in hospitals, said Medical Services Director Yannick Nordin. A Venezuelan and a Colombian were among the dead.
In a press conference led by state Attorney General Tomas Coronado Olmos, authorities said the attack may have been the result of a fight between two groups hours earlier in the trendy disco. Some of the people left and returned to attack the others.
State authorities said they are studying surveillance video from inside the nightclub to help determine what happened.
While there have been isolated grenade attacks around the city, Saturday's was the first to be thrown into a crowd and cause so many injuries.
The U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara recently warned U.S. citizens not to drive at night in parts of the city after suspected drug-gang members burned vehicles and blocked streets.
Such alerts have become common for highways in some areas of northern and western Mexico, but not for Guadalajara, which is known more for its mariachi music and tequila than as a focal point of a drug war that has claimed nearly 35,000 lives since 2006.
But in recent months the picturesque colonial city has come to resemble embattled areas of northern Mexico — including the state of Nuevo Leon, where Monterrey is located.
Seven presumed cartel gunmen were shot dead by soldiers near Monterrey during a chase and shootout just after midnight Friday. A civilian was also killed when the gunmen crashed into his car as they tried to flee soldiers.
A soldier and a state police officer were wounded during the clash in the suburban city of San Nicolas, the military said in a news release.
Soldiers also freed a woman who is presumed to have been kidnapped and was traveling in one of the vehicles. Two other vehicles, carrying an unknown number of attackers, escaped, and there were no arrests, said a spokesman for the state public security office, who was not authorized to give his name.
Nuevo Leon has been hit by a wave of drug-fueled violence in recent years as the Gulf Cartel battles a gang of its former enforcers known as the Zetas.
The cartels have staged a bloody turf war over drug peddling points and smuggling routes to the U.S. border 125 miles (200 kilometers) to the north, and clashes with the military and police have become almost a daily occurrence in and around Monterrey.
In Guadalajara, the violence has heated up just in the past few months from cartels warring for turf. The city is key to western drug routes once controlled by former Sinaloa leader Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, who was killed in a gunbattle with soldiers in July.
_____
Associated Press writer Mark Walsh in Monterrey, Mexico, contributed to this report.
View the original article here