Gunmen kill 12 people in Mexico bar attack
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A masked gunman in a black military-style getup opened fire at a crowded bar early Saturday in Tijuana, killing at least 12 people and wounding another 20 in an attack that has become a symbol of violence in Mexico. The gunman, identified as José Antonio Guerre, fired at the bar at 4 a.m. with an Uzi Machine Gun, said Guillermo Zarrella, the state attorney office spokesman. Tijuana police say they have identified the alleged gunman as a citizen of the Mexican state of Baja California. Authorities later detained Guerre, who was wearing a surgical mask and an earpiece to communicate he was using technology to hide his identity, Zarrella said. The motive for the attack is under investigation, and evidence gathered so far indicates that drug cartels are behind it, Zarrella said. Mexico’s government has condemned the killing of innocents and calls for more gun control in the country. Guerre did not identify himself or the suspected perpetrators, but he was known to authorities in Baja California state. The country’s government has described the attack as a hate crime and the country’s interior minister denounced the violence. The country has been convulsed with a series of deadly violence in the last several months, including a bombing in the capital on Friday that killed at least seven people and a mass shooting last week that left 23 dead and dozens wounded.
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