Unknown individuals hurled two hand grenades at the offices of "La Silla", a supplement to the "El Norte" newspaper in Monterrey, Nuevo León.
(CEPET/IFEX) – On the night of 10 January 2011, unknown individuals hurled two hand grenades at the offices of the “La Silla” publication, a supplement to the “El Norte” newspaper in Monterrey, Nuevo León. One of the grenades exploded, resulting in damages to the premises, although no one was injured.
According to information distributed by “El Norte”, the attack occurred around 11:00 p.m. Witnesses quoted by the newspaper said that at least two people who were in an SUV, apparently a grey Trail Blazer, drove up to the building in the Torremolinos neighbourhood.
The grenade, which resulted in damages to two of the windows and some design elements in the parking lot, was thrown by a man who got out of the front passenger seat. The SUV then drove away from the scene.
Officials of the Nuevo León Public Security Secretariat told CEPET that they were informed of the attack at 12:53 a.m. on 11 January. Some of their officers, together with members of the State Investigations Agency, the Mexican Army and forensic experts, examined the site and located the second hand grenade which had failed to detonate.
This is the second attack in recent months against the offices of “La Silla”. On 20 September 2010, another explosive device was thrown at the building’s fence, causing minimal damage.
Moreover, CEPET notes that there have been a number of attacks against the media in the city of Monterrey. On 9 July, assailants hurled a grenade at the offices of the Grupo Multimedios. The grenade did not explode but the glass in the main door was broken as a result of the impact. A few days later, on 15 August, the offices and studios of the Televisa company were targeted in a similar attack. In that case the explosive device resulted in damages to two vehicles parked near the station entrance.
