Although the attack is under investigation, the Attorney General Office hasn’t released any new updates.
What We Know:
- On August 27th, at 10 pm, a group of armed men stormed into Caballo Blanco, a nightclub in the Mexican city of Coatzacoalcos. The men blocked the emergency exits before starting a fire in the entrance hall. The men made their escape and allegedly took the owner with them. On August 28th, the victims’ loved ones embraced each other outside the general prosecutor’s office in Veracruz.
- This attack on the strip club is said to be one of the worst attacks since Andrés Manuel López Obrador, AMLO for short, took office in December as Mexico’s 58th President. When AMLO took office, he made a promise that his term would bring peace. Although he has created economic opportunities, some believe AMLO has done little to change the anti-cartel strategy.
- According to prosecutors, the fire killed 31 people. Thirteen of the victims were women who worked as table dancers.
- On September 9th, Veracruz Governor Cuitláhuac García Jiménez stated that the Attorney General had identified the perpetrators of the crime and made numerous arrests. Unfortunately, the governor also advised that it is not up to him to release the details.
- “I’m going to be respectful of the investigation process . . . The Federal Attorney General’s Office will provide the information,” Jiménez said. But with the Attorney General remaining silent is an indication that there have been no arrests.
- Although the Attorney General is remaining silent, the National Human Rights Commission is not. They have been demanding authorities to arrest those responsible and hold them accountable. The commission has also urged the government to protect the victims’ families and the two survivors. They have received death threats since the attack.
This attack happened eight years after a gunman killed 52 people and set the casino in the northern city of Monterrey on fire. That attack was staged by the Zetas drug cartel to enforce demands for protection payments.
