Mexican federal prosecutors have arrested three drug gang members accused of throwing grenades into crowds of Independence Day revelers, an unprecedented attack on civilians that killed eight people.
The men, arrested on Thursday, belonged to a group of infamous Gulf Cartel hitmen known as the Zetas, prosecutors said on Friday. They noted four others were under house arrest, but did not reveal their identities or disclose whether they were alleged cartel members.
The announcement confirmed suspicions that drug gangs were behind the attacks on the night of Sept. 15 in Morelia, the capital of the western state of Michoacan. But it was still unclear why the Zetas would target the crowd of innocent people.
An anonymous call led investigators to a house in Apatzingan, a drug stronghold in Michoacan. The three were arrested there and officials said they confessed to throwing the grenades.
The suspects were paraded before reporters at Friday’s news conference, but stated only their names: Julio Cesar Mondragon Mendoza, Juan Carlos Castro Galeana and Alfredo Rosas Elicea.
Marisela Morales, deputy federal prosecutor for organized crime, said authorities were investigating to corroborate the men’s confessions.
The grenades exploded almost at the same time within blocks of each other. They came seconds after Michoacan Governor Leonel Godoy delivered the traditional “Viva Mexico” shout for independence from the balcony of the state capitol.
Thousands were packed into the historic city square to celebrate the 1810 start of Mexico’s 10-year war of independence from Spain.
The explosions injured more than 100, many of them children. The youngest person killed was a 13-year-old boy.
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