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The attack took place about 5 miles from the U.S. border town of Laredo, Texas
Gunmen lured police officers out of their barracks before setting off a car bomb
The Mexican town of Nuevo Laredo has been the scene of a number of violent attacks
Eight state police officers and two civilians were wounded after gunmen opened fire on a hotel in the Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo, luring the police from their barracks before setting off a car bomb, the local authorities said Thursday.
The attack in the eastern state of Tamaulipas took place about 5 miles from the U.S. border town of Laredo, Texas.
A bomb placed in a Chevrolet pickup truck exploded around 5:30 a.m. CDT outside of the Hotel Santa Cecilia where police officers were staying until permanent barracks were built, a statement from the Tamaulipas State attorney general’s office said.
The blast was strong enough to cause partial damage to some of the rooms inside the barracks.
Three police officers suffered third degree burns to 50% of their bodies. The rest of those wounded were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
In a separate attack about an hour later, people set fire to a popular local nightclub called Maranhao. The building was closed at the time of the attack and the damages were “only material in nature,” the statement said.
Nuevo Laredo has been the scene of a number of violent attacks in the past year.
Earlier this month, 23 bodies were discovered in the town, many of them decapitated. Some were hung from a bridge. An unidentified military official said at the time that the authorities thought the killings were probably related to an organized crime group.