FEBRUARY 17 AMCONSULATE MONTERREY EMERGENCY ACTION COMMITTEE

C O N F I D E N T I A L MONTERREY 000080 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/18/2019 TAGS: ASEC SNAR KCRM PINS CASC MX SUBJECT: FEBRUARY 17 AMCONSULATE MONTERREY EMERGENCY ACTION COMMITTEE MEETING REF: A) MONTERREY 074; B) MONTERREY 458 CLASSIFIED BY: Bruce Williamson, Consul General, Monterrey, State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary. The Consulate General Monterrey EAC convened on February 17 to discuss ongoing demonstrations sponsored by the drug cartels against the military, a recent incident during which an unknown person tailed a Post official while departing the Consulate Building, and the reliability of the state/municipal police units posted outside the Consulate General building. Post held a town hall meeting later that day to brief American direct hire employees, and will take several other steps to further strengthen our security posture. End Summary. Demonstrations and Recent Security Incidents ¶2. (C) In addition to the Consul General, RSO, Econ, Cons, Mgt, IPO, FCS, DEA, ICE, ATF, GSO, and CIS, visiting Washington based DS/IP officials attended the meeting. The Consul General and RSO briefed the EAC on the ongoing demonstrations against the Mexican military, organized by the drug cartels (see reftel A). On February 13, post issued a warden message to Amcits about the protests. Demonstrations are very rare in Monterrey, and these have continued for the last week at different locations, shutting down major thoroughfares. Several of the demonstrations have occurred in close proximity to the Consulate. After police arrested one of the organizers, a cell leader for the Gulf Cartel, the arresting officer was threatened and later killed. We understand that the police have decided not to investigate their fellow officer's assassination. FSN RSO Investigator and commander of the state police local guard force had a verbal run-in with another Gulf Cartel organizer who attempted to park his vehicle near the Consulate. The demonstrations continue and the state police are very reluctant to intervene. ¶3. (C) RSO also briefed the EAC about an unknown car tailing the A/RSO as he left the building February 12 at 19:15 hours. As the pursuer followed him the wrong way up a one way street post considers this to be a confirmed case of surveillance. A/RSO identified the car as a four door black sedan. When the pursuing car tried to pull up alongside the A/RSO vehicle, which had diplomatic license plates, the A/RSO was able to lose the pursuer by switching lanes to enter an adjoining highway. The pursuer almost rammed his car into a concrete barrier attempting to follow the A/RSO. A DHS/ICE employee was also tailed in October 2008 (see reftel B). In addition, an unknown person tried to enter a Consulate house in a gated community last week, but the guard prevented the person from coming into the gated community. ¶4. (C) Finally, RSO discussed the local police's security posture around the Consulate. Following the October 11 attack on the Consulate, there have been two police cars from the city of San Pedro and a state SWAT team deployed in front of the Consulate, in addition to the local guard force of state police officers. The night of February 12, at around 22:00 hours, the SWAT team warned the San Pedro police that they were moving off for unclear reasons. The SWAT team then redeployed, without RSO knowledge or approval, to the rear of the building. The San Pedro police interpreted these actions as an indication of a possible attack and informed the RSO, who was still working in the building. Based on their demeanor, the local guard force appeared unaware of any threat. It is unknown if this was a misunderstanding, a warning, or a probe to see how the police forces would react. Consulate Actions ¶5. (C) EAC participants agreed that the Consulate should hold a town hall meeting for American direct hire employees to advise them of the ongoing situation and the security precautions that they and their families should take. The town hall was held that afternoon. Employees were asked to vary their routes to and from work, and to maintain their awareness as they circulate about the city. RSO has issued security notices regarding what steps to take in case one of them is caught up in a demonstration and will reissue its notices on good security practices. At the EAC and the town hall American employees were urged to inform their supervisors if they are going on a trip away from Monterrey, and when they expect to return. Finally, IPO noted that the Consulate has two satellite phones available for use by employees going on official travel in areas where cell phone coverage is lacking. WILLIAMSON