THREE BOMBS EXPLODE IN MEXICO CITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 006313

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2011
TAGS: ASEC PTER PREL PGOV MX
SUBJECT: THREE BOMBS EXPLODE IN MEXICO CITY

REF: MEXICO 6182

Classified By: ACTING MINISTER COUNSELOR FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS ALAN D.
MELTZER FOR REASONS: 1.4(B/D).


1. (U) SUMMARY. Shortly after midnight on November 6, three
bombs exploded at distinct locations in Mexico City.
Significant damage was inflicted on the Federal Electoral
Tribunal (Trife),the national headquarters of the
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI),and a branch office
of Scotiabank. Two additional bombs were found and
dismantled, one outside of the same Scotiabank branch office
and another near the PRI headquarters. There were no
resulting deaths or injuries. No one has claimed
responsibility for the bombings. End Summary.


2. (U) Shortly after midnight on November 6, three bombs
exploded at distinct locations in Mexico City. Significant
damage was inflicted on the Trife building, the national
headquarters of the PRI, and the Tepepan branch office of
Scotiabank. One bomb failed to explode and was disarmed by
Mexican authorities outside of the same branch. Another bomb
was reportedly found near PRI headquarters and dismantled.


3. (C) No individual or organization has claimed
responsibility for the bombings. The People's Popular
Assembly of Oaxaca (APPO),the radical group responsible for
the current instability in the state, has explicitly denied
responsibility. All GOM reports to the embassy emphasized
that these attacks are domestic in origin, without apparent
links to international terrorism. However, the government
officials have not yet cited hard evidence to support the
claim. Two calls were made to the police notifying them of
the bombs shortly before the explosions, suggesting that
those responsible were eager to avoid casualties.


4. (C) According to senior officials at the Secretariat of
Public Security, the bombs were made of ammonium nitrate fuel
oil (ANFO),with traces of diesel, constructed with a timer
and an electronic initiator. In one bomb, officials also
reported the use of two kilograms of Tovex 100: a
gelatin-based, highly explosive, ready-made industrial
dynamite. While the bomb ingredients are easily attainable,
their construction and execution was far more sophisticated
than that of the spate of pipe bombs blasts in Mexico several
years ago. According to Mexican law enforcement, this is the
first use in Mexico of the ANFO variety of bomb.


5. (C) Official reports conflict with respect to the
placement of the bombs. The head of the bomb squad initially
reported that the three detonated bombs were located inside
of the targeted buildings, all of which are very secure.
Another more senior official subsequently explained that the
bombs were set within the perimeter fencing but outside the
buildings themselves. The bombing sites are located at
considerable distances from each other in Mexico City.


6. (U) Numerous copycat bomb threats followed the explosions
on Monday, November 6. Authorities responded to threats
towards high profile targets like the Secretariat of Foreign
Relations (SRE) and the Torre Mayor, a prominent office
building in the capital, all of which proved false.


7. (SBU) While no motive is known, at least two of the three
targeted institutions have played roles in recent contentious
political issues. The PRI, Mexico's undisputed ruling party
from 1929 until the election of President Vicente Fox in
2000, has played a strong and controversial hand in the
current political crisis in the state of Oaxaca (see reftel).
The governor is a member of the PRI, and during the crisis
he has been supported by the party establishment, who have
opposed his removal from office. With respect to the Trife,
many on the political left allege that the tribunal acted
improperly in dismissing the majority of the electoral
challenges filed by the losing candidate Lopez Obrador, and
by certifying Felipe Calderon as President-elect.


8. (C) The reason for the targeting of Scotiabank is less
clear. One possible explanation is that Scotiabank has been
involved in the case against former Mexican miners' union
leader Napoleon Gomez Urrutia, charged with misappropriating

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USD55 million of union funds. Supporters of Gomez may resent
the bank's reported assistance in the GOM's investigation of
Gomez. Conversely, Gomez's opponents have suggested that the
bank somehow was complicit in this alleged misappropriation.


9. (U) President Vicente Fox condemned the bombings as an
attempt to frighten the public and reasserted his obligation
to guarantee the safety of Mexicans and preserve the peace
and security of the country. The president's spokesperson
stated that the investigation will be carried out by the
federal Attorney General's Office as well as the Mexico City
Government. President-elect Felipe Calderon called on all
Mexicans to "categorically" reject this kind of violence.
Mexico City Mayor Alejandro Encinas classified the bombings
as a political act. He also attempted to quell public fears,
urging city residents to not be subject to "extreme worry."


10. (C) COMMENT: While at least two (and possibly all three)
of the targets selected by the bombers strongly suggest a
political motive, the political significance of the targets
varies, blurring the message of the attacks. What is clear,
however is that the bombings were sophisticated,
well-organized, and planned for dramatic effect. With APPO
having issued an unequivocal (and we believe credible) denial
of responsibility, the search for those responsible will
shift to other lower profile anti-establishment elements in
Mexico. End comment.


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