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Viewing cable 09MONTERREY14, ATTACK ON TELEVISA TV STATION INCREASES PRESS INTIMIDATION
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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
09MONTERREY14 | 2009-01-12 19:07 | 2011-02-10 12:12 | CONFIDENTIAL | Consulate Monterrey |
Appears in these articles: http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2011/02/10/index.php?section=politica&article=006n1pol |
VZCZCXRO5000
PP RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHMC #0014/01 0121954
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 121954Z JAN 09
FM AMCONSUL MONTERREY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3415
INFO RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 4458
RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USNORTHCOM
RUEHMC/AMCONSUL MONTERREY 8957
186763
2009-01-12 19:54:00
09MONTERREY14
Consulate Monterrey
CONFIDENTIAL
08MONTERREY390
VZCZCXRO5000
PP RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHMC #0014/01 0121954
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 121954Z JAN 09
FM AMCONSUL MONTERREY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3415
INFO RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 4458
RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USNORTHCOM
RUEHMC/AMCONSUL MONTERREY 8957
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MONTERREY 000014
SIPDIS
DEPT PASS TO ATF
E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/12/2019
TAGS: SNAR ASEC PGOV KCRM PHUM MX
SUBJECT: ATTACK ON TELEVISA TV STATION INCREASES PRESS INTIMIDATION
REF: 2008 MONTERREY 390
MONTERREY 00000014 001.2 OF 002
CLASSIFIED BY: Bruce Williamson, Consul General, Monterrey,
State.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
¶1. (C ) Summary. On January 6 the Televisa TV station in
Monterrey was attacked by unknown assailants, who shot eight .40
caliber rounds into the station wall and threw a grenade over a
fence into the parking lot, which exploded but did not injure
anyone. The attack occurred while Televisa was broadcasting its
nightly news show live from the station. The federal Attorney
General's office (PGR) has concluded that most likely this was
an attack by a drug cartel, and we agree with this assessment.
Although no one was injured and it is unknown why Televisa was
targeted, this attack increases the pressure on journalists to
avoid reporting on drug cartel related issues. End Summary.
The Attack on Televisa
¶2. (SBU) The evening of January 6 at least two assailants
attacked Televisa in a red car, and one of them got out and
placed a message on a nearby parked car. They escaped, but their
Pontiac Grand Am was found the following morning only 500 meters
from the attack. State and federal police investigators found a
.40 caliber Glock pistol in the car, along with clothes and
shell casings. The attackers' written message left at Televisa
said "Stop reporting just on us. Report on narco-officials. This
is a warning." Although no one was injured in the attack, the
assailants could not have known if anyone was in the parking lot
when they threw the grenade over Televisa's wall. The grenade's
explosion left a crater one foot deep. The state police
subsequently increased security for media outlets, and the local
Mexican military on its initiative volunteered sent additional
security to protect the Consulate. Note. The Consulate was
attacked in a similar manner on October 11, 2008, and is located
approximately one mile from the Televisa station. End Note.
¶3. ( C) The investigation into this attack is being
conducted by the federal Attorney General's office, the same
office handling the October 11 attack on the Consulate. They
have received strong cooperation from Consulate law enforcement
personnel. The Consulate was contacted the night of the attack,
and the RSO, DEA RAC and an ATF agent searched the crime scene.
They recovered shell casings, which were analyzed by the Nuevo
Leon State Crime Laboratory with an IBIS ballistic imaging
machine, utilizing training provided by ATF. Those shell casings
will be forwarded to the ATF lab for further analysis. Consulate
officials took a soil sample, which will also be sent to the ATF
lab for study. ATF traced the firearms recovered from the site
and discovered that these guns were purchased in Texas one year
ago. ATF has the specific information on the purchasers and will
coordinate its investigation with the ATF Houston Field Office.
The investigators recovered the grenade fuse spoon, which
appears to be from a US military M67 fragmentation grenade. ATF
is investigating if any M67 grenades from this lot were exported
to foreign militaries. The M67 grenade is different than the M26
grenade used to attack the Consulate on October 11, but five M67
grenades were recovered during a raid several days after the
Consulate attack in a Gulf Cartel warehouse.
Unclear Why Televisa was Targeted
¶4. (C ) Televisa news anchor XXXXXXXXXXXX (strictly
protect) told PAO and Poloff that Televisa had not received any
threats prior to the attack. Indeed, XXXXXXXXXXXX commented that the
drug war has quieted down in Monterrey, and he could not think
of any Televisa news stories which could have prompted an
assault. XXXXXXXXXXXX thought that Televisa was attacked as a media
symbol, not for any specific story. Moreover, he opined thought
that the attack was for political purposes, designed to create
instability and thereby undermine the current PRI Governor Jose
Natividad Gonzalez Paras, and the Governor's favored candidate
to succeed him in the July 2009 elections, his young Secretary
of Government Rodrigo Medina. Note, the PRI has not chosen its
candidate for Governor, but this has been a bad week for
pre-candidate Medina. On the same day of the attack, there were
several anonymous signs put up criticizing the Governor for lack
of action against gangs, organized crime, public debt and
traffic, and asking why should people vote for the Governor's
candidate, widely assumed to be Medina. End Note.
Interesting Trends in News Coverage
¶5. (C ) XXXXXXXXXXXX stated that although news reporters and
their families were worried, Televisa reporters still were going
about their jobs. Televisa also denounced the attack in its
national news program. The leading newspaper El Norte splashed
the story all over its front page, with a picture of the crime
scene. Curiously, the second leading newspaper Milenio led with
an economic story, with only a lead at the bottom of the page,
and the only description of the attack was a small story on page
MONTERREY 00000014 002.2 OF 002
¶15. Poloff reviewed the internet sites of Milenio, and found
that the Mexico City and Guadalajara versions led with the
attack on Televisa in Monterrey (including a picture), but the
Monterrey and Torreon sites led with other stories, and the
story on the attack did not include a picture.
¶6. (C ) Although this was the first attack on the media
in Monterrey, the attack on Televisa follows a pattern of
intimidation against journalists. As described in reftel, the
leading newspaper El Norte has received many threats from drug
cartels, leading the publisher to relocate his family to the
United States. El Norte has continued to print stories,
including in the January 4 Sunday edition (with no byline)
discussing how drug cartels have branched out into extortion in
the state of Veracruz. However, El Norte knows that the drug
cartels have compromised some of its reporters (see reftel) and
recently El Norte leadership told us that they are using
substantial resources to follow some of their reporters to learn
if they are connected to drug cartels. Given this, it seems
likely that some Televisa reporters could also be compromised.
FSN media specialist recalled a case where two Televisa
reporters disappeared several years ago, and press colleagues
thought they were tied to one of the drug cartels.
¶7. (C ) Comment. The Televisa incident is an escalation
over the October 11 attack on the Consulate. It was conducted
during working hours, the assailants pulled the pin on the
grenade, and the attack could well have killed or injured a
Televisa employee. It is hard to fully interpret the message
left at the scene, although clearly it is designed to intimidate
journalists from reporting on narcotics crimes. As explained in
reftel, news reporters are in a quandary, since if they report
narco-killings by one cartel, that cartel is mad with them. But
if they fail to report the crime the rival cartel may threaten
them. Although the Monterrey press report on narcotics related
killings, they do not investigate the influence of the drug
cartels in politics. The message referring to
narco-officeholders appears to point to Governor Gonzalez Paras.
One cartel may think that his administration is protecting the
other. End Comment.
WILLIAMSONB