MexicoÂ’s President Vows Continued Fight in Wake of Casino Attack
MEXICO CITY — President Felipe Calderón on Friday called for three days of national mourning and promised to redouble the fight against crime gangs after 52 people were killed in a fire Thursday at a casino in northern Mexico set by armed men.
In a nationally televised address, Mr. CalderĂłn called the attack the most serious against the civilian population in his term, which began in 2006 with a crackdown on drug cartels. Other massacres have occurred, as evidenced by mass graves, but it is unclear if the victims found in those graves came from one attack or more.
Mr. CalderĂłn promised to send more federal forces to Monterrey and surrounding Nuevo Leon State, though there is already a very large contingent of military and federal police who were sent there after previous attacks.
“It is evident we are not facing common criminals, we are facing true terrorists who have surpassed not only the limits of the law but basic common sense and respect for life,” he said, his voice tinged with anger and invoking the specter of narco-terrorism, a concept Mexican officials generally play down.
Mr. CalderĂłn also reiterated calls for the Mexican congress to enact reforms he has proposed to improve security and for the United States to reduce its consumption of drugs and sale of guns, many of which end up used in attacks in Mexico.
“We are neighbors, we are allies, we are friends, but you too share responsibility,” he said.
A security camera captured video of men in four vehicles pulling up to the front of Casino Royale in Monterrey, an important business and industrial hub 150 miles from the Texas border that has emerged in the past year as one of the most violent cities in the country.
The attackers spilled out of their vehicles, some dashing into the casino while others, holding what appeared to be assault rifles, waved people away as city traffic carried on usual. In less than a few minutes, thick black smoke and flames blocked other images from the camera.
The authorities said the men spread flammable liquid all around the interior and lit it, causing flames and smoke to quickly engulf the building as dozens of people inside stampeded in terror.
“People were falling down,” a witness told the El Norte newspaper in Monterrey. “We couldn’t get out through the main entrance because the armed men were there.”
She fled to the back, she said.
“I just went to one side and ran out running,” she said. “I didn’t know where to run to. I saw a friend and we got into her car.”
No motive has been determined but the attack bore the earmarks of an organized crime assault and Mr. CalderĂłn connected the disaster to the battle against drug crime. The crackdown he began, as well as infighting among the cartels, have left more than 35,000 people dead.
Casinos, growing in number across the country, have emerged lately as targets of extortion, violence and money laundering.
Rodrigo Medina, the governor of Nuevo Leon State, in an interview with the Milenio television network said no motive had been determined, and he would not comment on reports that the casino may have refused to pay protection money to a gang.
Many victims appeared to be women and the elderly, who often bet there.
Monterrey, once a peaceful city, , has been hit hard by the violence as at least two major criminal organizations battle for control. Bodies are regularly found hanging from overpasses, several people have been killed in bars and the American consulate there has moved the younger children of its workers from the city.
