osac ciudad juarez vbied used against police

8/8/2019 OSAC Ciudad Juarez VBIED Used Against Police

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The following report is based on open source reporting.

July 20, 2010

Incident Overview

On July 15 at 7:30 p.m., an explosive device detonated againstlocal law enforcement at the intersection of Bolivia and 16 deSeptiembre streets in downtown Ciudad Juarez. Preliminaryreports and statements by local law enforcement suggest that theattack employed the use of a vehicle-borne improvised explosivedevice (VBIED). The vehicle allegedly detonated after rammingtwo police patrol trucks.

Initial casualty estimates suggest that at least three people werekilled and twelve were wounded by the blast, including innocentbystanders. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the blast may haveoccurred as a follow-on attack as municipal and federal police were responding to a report that amunicipal police officer was shot and killed.

A nacro-banner found near the scene of the explosion indicated that the attack was carried out by LaLinea, a gang of enforcers allied with the Juarez cartel. A translation of the banner stated, Whathappened on 16 (de Septiembre avenue) will keep happening to all the authorities who keepsupporting El Chapo(reference to Chapo Guzman, leader of the Sinaloa cartel) . Sincerely- the Juarezcartel. We still have car bombs. Earlier in the day a top leader of the La Linea drug gang, Jesus

Acosta Guerrero, was arrested, prompting claims by media outlets that the bombing was a retaliatoryattack.

Update and Additional Threat Message

Ciudad Juarez: VBIED Used Against Police
https://www.osac.gov/


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Update and Additional Threat Message

Background

The Sinaloa and Juarez cartels remain engaged in a violent turf battle for control of Ciudad Juarez whichhas caused the citys murder rate to skyrocket. Some estimates now put the citys murder rate at 191 per100,000 inhabitants, causing it to be labeled by the media as the most violent city on Earth. Most of theactual violence in Ciudad Juarez is carried out by enforcers and street gangs employed by and allied withthe cartels. La Linea is widely considered to be the armed branch of the Juarez cartel.

Innovative Tactics

The use of a VBIED by a Mexican cartel marks a notable shift in tactics among the cartels. Whilegrenades, grenade launchers, and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) have been previously employed byMexican cartels, this would be the first successful cartel-affiliated VBIED attack in the recent era andwould represent a serious escalation in the level of violence used by Mexican cartels. The use of VBIEDsis not a completely new tactic in the region as they were commonly used by Colombian drug-trafficking

Second narco-banner discovered in Ciudad JuarezJul 19, 2010


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OSAC constituents remain concerned about the potential for their operations to be impacted by cartelviolence in Ciudad Juarez. OSAC has received numerous reports from constituents whove indicated thatcartel shootouts have occurred in close proximity to their facilities. OSAC recently received two separatereports of U.S. private sector employees being murdered in Ciudad Juarez.

Outlook

Violence in Ciudad Juarez will likely increase inthe near-term, as inter-cartel violence andcounter cartel operations by the Mexicanauthorities provoke violent reactions. Cartelmembers and enforcers in Ciudad Juarez have

demonstrated both their willingness to conductviolent and deadly attacks against rival cartelsand Mexican security forces, frequently resultingin the deaths of innocent bystanders. Anypotential reduction in cartel violence will likely bea gradual and long-term process. Despite valiant efforts by Mexican authorities to combat the cartels,violence has continued to increase and that trend will likely continue.

In the claim of responsibility the perpetrators indicate that they have additional VBIEDs at their disposal

so its possible that similar tactics may be used in future attacks. As is evident by the frequen t use ofdecapitations, mutilation, and torture, Mexican cartels have shown a propensity for employing tactics tointimidate and provoke fear in their adversaries.

Indiscriminate Shootout at Popular Mall

On July 14 at 11:45 a.m., a large-scale shootout occurred at the Misiones Mall in Ciudad Juarez,where Westerners frequently shop. Initial, unconfirmed reports indicate that the incident may havebegun as an attempted kidnapping that escalated when the intended victims bodyguards intervened.

The bodyguards managed to repel the assailants, forcing them to flee the scene. Multiple police unitsresponded to the incident but the perpetrators managed to avoid apprehension.

Shootouts can occur with little or no notice, have taken place in broad daylight, and some have lastedf l h M f h h l f d h di f


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For Further Information

Please direct any questions regarding this incident or the general security situation in Mexico toOSACsRegional Coordinator for the Western Hemisphere.Further information on the security situation is also available in the activeTravel Warningfor Mexico andin the2010 OSAC Ciudad Juarez Crime & Safety Report.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=117022https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=117022https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=117022https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=113317https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=113317https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=113317https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=113317https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=117022mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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The contents of this (U) presentation in no way represent the policies, views, or attitudes of the United States Department o f State, or the United States Government, except as

otherwise noted (e.g., travel advisories, public statements). The presentation was compiled from various open sources and (U) embassy reporting. Please note that all OSAC

products are for internal U.S. private sector security purposes only. Publishing or otherwise distributing OSAC-derived information in a manner inconsistent with this policy mayresult in the discontinuation of OSAC support.

Location of Bombing

Intersection of Bolivia and 16 de

Septiembre

osac ciudad juarez vbied used against police

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