US Embassy vehicle targeted and attacked in Mexico shooting
Mexican federal police who fired on a US embassy vehicle, wounding two CIA officers, were likely working for a drug gang, officials have said.
The armored SUV with American diplomatic plates was shot at on a rural road near Cuernavaca south of Mexico City on August 24.
Mexico’s Federal police officers have said they mistakenly opened fire on the vehicle believing it was being driven by the kidnappers of a government employee.
When asked if the officers involved in the shooting were tied to organized crime, a senior US official told AP: “The circumstantial evidence is pretty damn strong.”
The source continued: “That’s not a ‘We’re trying to shake down a couple people for a traffic violation sort of operation. That’s a ‘We are specifically trying to kill the people in this vehicle’,” a U.S. official familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press. “This is not a ‘Whoops, we got the wrong people.’ ”
The CIA officers were driving to a military installation, accompanied by a Mexican navy captain, when a carload of gunmen opened fire and gave chase.
As they tried to escape, three other cars joined the original vehicle, according to a navy statement, and occupants of all four fired.
“This is somebody with a powerful automatic weapon just unloading an entire clip, reloading, and continuing to fire at that same impact point, clearly with the intention of penetrating the armorr and presumably killing those who are inside,” the US official said.
On Tuesday, President Felipe Calderón promised a “thorough investigation with all rigor and severity” would determine whether the shooting was a case of mistaken identity or a purposeful attack.
“Whether the shooting was due to negligence, or complicity, or a lack of training, or a lack of trustworthiness, these events are unacceptable,” Calderón said.
screenshot video by Stratfor
