More violence in Matamoros

Violence continued Wednesday in Matamoros as a grenade was thrown at city hall and a local university was shut down because of a threat of some type of attack.

Also, the Mexican navy announced the arrest of 30 Gulf Cartel members during operations conducted Monday and Tuesday throughout the state of Tamaulipas.

As disturbances continued to plague Matamoros, panic ripped through downtown around 9:30 a.m. when a grenade was thrown at city hall, injuring two people. Federal police and the military cordoned off an area six blocks wide around the main plaza at the intersection of Calle Sexta and Morelos.

Ismael Vega, a spokesman for the Matamoros municipal police, identified the two injured in the attack – both passersby – as Ruben Lopez Cornejo, 31, and Perla Gonzalez, 28. Both reportedly suffered shrapnel injuries on the head and midsection and were taken to a hospital.

According to Mexican Army Commander Raul Guillen, the grenade attack damaged a window and part of the front wall at the city hall.

Matamoros Mayor Eric Silva was not injured, although officials did not say whether he was at city hall at the time.

Brownsville Mayor Pat M. Ahumada Jr. said Wednesday he had been in close contact with Silva’s staff and was assured that Silva was fine and was not in the building when the grenade was thrown.

Of the attack, Ahumada said, "It’s not unexpected. We’ve seen it coming from Laredo on down for a number of years. It’s getting worse and worse."

He said that criminals are causing “chaos, havoc and fear.”

Ahumada said the situation is alarming to Brownsville residents who have relatives in Mexico.

“It makes no sense to us,” he said. He noted that in a way the U.S. is involved because it provides the criminals with firepower.

“Where are they getting the weapons?” he asked.

Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection say its officers remain vigilant and on alert.

“We are in communication with our counterparts in Mexico and will use any and all means available to us to ensure the safety of the traveling public, our facilities and our officers,” CBP spokesman Eduardo G. Perez said.

Later Wednesday morning, after the grenade attack, the Instituto Tecnologico de Matamoros was ordered shut down because of threats of attacks on the university. No violence was reported there.

Gunmen arrested

According to reports from the Mexican navy, 30 gunmen from the Gulf Cartel were taken into custody by military personnel earlier in the week. The arrests had been conducted in coordination with the Mexican National Security Investigation Center, or CISEN.

The suspects were presented Wednesday at a Navy hangar in Mexico City. The alleged gunmen were lined up in front of a helicopter, near a display of a large weapons cache that was also seized.

On display were 43 rifles and assault rifles, 10 handguns, two rocket launchers, one rocket, 318 ammunition magazines, 21 grenades, 9,881 ammunition rounds, 10 Kevlar helmets, six tactical vests, 44 patches and logos of the Gulf Cartel, 558,000 pesos, 393 dollars, two vehicles, communication equipment and military type uniforms, according to a press release from the Mexican military.

After the presentation, the alleged gunmen were turned over to the Mexican Attorney General’s Office, or PGR.

(See list of those arrested at bottom of this story.)

Gulf Cartel members arrested by Mexican Navy

Protest

On Tuesday afternoon, approximately 300 protesters chanted outside the Matamoros City Hall, calling for an end to the Mexican military’s efforts to capture Gulf Cartel leader Ezequiel “Tony Tormenta” Cardenas Guillen.

The protesters were alleging various abuses by the military and called for troops to leave the city. Calls to city hall Tuesday evening seeking comment went unanswered.

Prison riot

Also on Tuesday evening, a Mexican law enforcement official confirmed that a riot took place at the Matamoros state prison, located in the rural area of Santa Adelaida on the outskirts of the city. The official declined comment when asked if the riot was related to an alleged breakout.

A source with firsthand knowledge of criminal activity in Mexico stated that a group of Gulf Cartel gunmen broke out a large number of their own members in an effort to strengthen the group’s forces, which are locked in a three-way battle with the Zetas criminal organization and the Mexican military.

The Matamoros prison houses both state and federal inmates.

Confrontation

Sources have stated that Mexico’s recent efforts to capture Cardenas Guillen have led to bitter confrontation between the Gulf Cartel and the Mexican military.

Gulf Cartel members claim that the Mexican navy took into custody the wife of Cardenas Guillen and one of his daughters, said the source with firsthand knowledge. He also stated that Gulf Cartel members allegedly kidnapped at least 10 Mexican marines.

Over the weekend, more than 60 military trucks arrived in Matamoros and set up checkpoints on the main roads in and out of the city, sources said. Helicopters flew continually over the city.

A Mexican law enforcement official, who asked that his name not be published for security reasons, stated that more than a thousand troops were deployed to Matamoros to hunt down Cardenas Guillen.

On Sunday morning, a group of armed gunmen lobbed a grenade at the Mexican military checkpoint near Gateway International Bridge, sparking a brief but intense firefight that ended in downtown Matamoros.

Two weeks ago, Cardenas Guillen reportedly was engaged in a firefight with Mexican Marines near Las Arboledas neighborhood as well as in Fraccionamiento Rio. Sources with firsthand knowledge of the event stated that the Mexican navy has intensified its effort to track down Cardenas Guillen after an unconfirmed 42 Mexican marines were killed during the fighting. The sources said Cardenas had been injured in that fight.

Subsequently, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office – PGR – confirmed that Cardenas and Mexican marines clashed in Matamoros but the PGR said that Cardenas had eluded capture.