US employees injured in Mexico shooting

EnglishLady · Aug 24, 2012

BBC

Two US government employees have been shot and wounded in a vehicle south of Mexico City, officials say.

Their armoured US embassy four-wheel drive came under fire on a main road near the city of Cuernavaca, police said, quoted by Mexican media.

One was said to have been hit in the leg and the other in the stomach and hand. Both were admitted to hospital.

The motive for the shooting is unclear and the US embassy in Mexico has so far not commented.

However, a US official told the Associated Press news agency that the two were not drug enforcement agents or from the FBI.

It is not clear how seriously injured they were or how long they will remain in hospital.

A Mexican army official, also quoted by AP, said a Mexican navy captain was in the vehicle but was not injured.

He said the Toyota vehicle had been riddled with bullet holes.

The road winds through a mountainous area where drug gangs, criminals and leftist rebels have been known to be active.

However, correspondents say attacks on diplomatic personnel are extremely rare in Mexico.

layoutshooter · Aug 24, 2012

It is always dangerous for U.S. officials when they work out of the country. Mexico is VERY dangerous but every where is dangerous.

EnglishLady · Aug 24, 2012

layoutshooter said:
It is always dangerous for U.S. officials when they work out of the country. Mexico is VERY dangerous but every where is dangerous.

Update

Two people employed at the US embassy in Mexico have been wounded after their car was mistakenly fired on by police south of Mexico City, officials say.

The Mexican Navy said the US personnel were on a main road to the city of Cuernavaca when the shooting happened.

Details are still unclear, but the navy said the US vehicle had been fleeing from gunmen in another car.

The US state department said it was working with Mexican authorities to investigate the incident.

Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the two men were receiving "appropriate medical care and are in stable condition".

"We have no further information to share at this time," she added.

One of the men was said to have been hit in the leg and the other in the stomach and hand. Both were admitted to hospital.

A Mexican marine traveling with the two US employees was slightly injured in the incident, the navy said.

The Mexican public security ministry and marines said in a joint statement: "Today at 08:00 a diplomatic vehicle belonging to the US embassy was hit by multiple bullets from personnel of the federal police in the Tres Marias-Huitzilac highway."

It said the embassy personnel had been heading to a military installation when a carload of gunmen opened fire on them and chased them, along with a Mexican naval officer accompanying them.

Alerted to the gunfire, federal police patrol vehicles came to the scene and apparently opened fire.

The federal police officers involved have been held for questioning, the navy said.

Pictures from the scene showed the Toyota vehicle riddled with bullet-holes.

The shooting happened in an area where drug gangs and leftist rebels have been known to operate in the past.

BBC News - Mexico police fire on US embassy staff