SEPTEMBER 17 CONSULATE MONTERREY EMERGENCY ACTION COMMITTEE

C O N F I D E N T I A L MONTERREY 000345

SIPDIS

DS FOR IP /ITA AND IP/WHA
MEXICO CITY FOR RSO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/18/2019
TAGS: ASEC SNAR MX
SUBJECT: SEPTEMBER 17 CONSULATE MONTERREY EMERGENCY ACTION COMMITTEE
MEETING

CLASSIFIED BY: Bruce Williamson, Principal Officer, Consul
General Monterrey, State.
REASON: 1.4 (d),(g)

1. (C) On September 17 Post Emergency Action Committee met
to review DEA-generated threat information (septel). Consul
General, RSO, ATF, DEA, Legatt, MGT, CONS, Econ/Pol, IPO,
DHS-ICE, OPAD, and DHS-CIS were present at the meeting. Consul
General requested that all Agency/Section heads impress upon
their employees the need for continue vigilance and situational
awareness. RSO briefed on the security precautions taken to
date, including the increased patrols of the area on the part of
Nuevo Leon military, federal, and state authorities.

2. (C) In addition, Consul General and RSO related the
contents of a September 16 news article reporting that on
Monday, September at approximately mid-day at least 25 gunmen in
six vehicles had fired upon the convoy of Zacatecas state
Governor Amalia Garcia. The attack occurred on the highway
between Zacatecas city and the municipality of Sombrerete, near
the town of Sain Alto. Although the Govenor was not in the
convoy at the time of the incident, two of her security escort
personnel were injured by the gunfire. Originally, the
Governor's staff denied that the attack had taken place, but as
rumors began to circulate her spokesmen later confirmed the
details. Speculation is that the attackers knew that she was
not in the convoy and merely intended to intimidate her.
Eleven long arms and a variety of revolvers were left behind by
the assailants. No arrests were made. Given the frequency of
visits by Consulate officers to Zacatecas state - one such trip
is tentatively planned for October - Consul General directed
sections/agencies to review their travel plans. ACS will issue
a warden notice to Amcits.

3. (C) Separately, DEA reported surveillance of one of their
agents on September 11 along the toll highway linking Monterrey
and Reynosa. Four individuals in a large pick-up truck without
license plates blocked the DEA employee's vehicle at a roadside
gasoline station while one of the truck occupants was seen
speaking on a cellular phone. The DEA agent departed the area
without further incident.

4. (C) EAC decided to request the Department to schedule
Diplomatic Security Anti-terrorism Training in Monterrey for
inbound Consulate employees and to request that a Mobile
Training Team visit Post to train currently assigned personnel
in a similar course of instruction. EAC also noted that
security would be enhanced if DS were to increase the number of
authorized Surveillance Detection unit positions from five to
eight, which would permit a wider zone and longer periods of
coverage.

5. (C) Finally, the EAC discussed the lag in CEPA reporting.
RSO will forward out reminders for sections/agencies still
needing to submit data. Post anticipates bringing the CEPA
database to near completion by the end of the year.

WILLIAMSON