Feb 15, 2008 5:50 pm US/Central
Bombing Kills 1 In Mexico City
Blast Goes Off Near Police Headquarters
MEXICO CITY (AP) ―
A homemade bomb exploded about 50 yards from Mexico City police headquarters Friday, killing one man and injuring a young woman, police said.
The explosion broke windows and damaged cars in the immediate vicinity, including a popular tourist area. Blocks away, high-rise buildings shook along the capital city's central Reforma avenue. Police officers dressed in riot gear swarmed and cordoned off the area.
A man was killed in the explosion and a 22-year-old woman was injured, Police Chief Joel Ortega said. Police are investigating whether the man killed was responsible for the bomb, which they believe was activated remotely by a cell phone, he added.
Ortega said the motive for the bombing remained unclear.
In recent weeks, police have announced the arrest in Mexico City of several alleged members of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, and the seizure of several large weapons caches, including grenades and high-powered rifles.
Small rebel groups have in past years have set off explosives outside banks during off-hours and blown up pipes belonging to the state-owned oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. No one was killed in those attacks.
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