Mexico investigates soccer stadium attack that killed at least 11 people

Beer cans, candles and blood-stained clothes were strewn on a football field in central Mexico on Monday, a day after a gunman killed 11 people and wounded 12 others at a party after an amateur match.

While authorities investigate the killing, Guanajuato Governor Libya Denis Garcia said on Monday that state and federal forces “have increased security in the area.” She said on social media that the country “will take decisive action to protect families, restore peace to communities and bring those responsible to justice.”

The massacre occurred in the city hall Salamancalocated in a state with the highest number of homicides in the country. The area has been hit by intense violence related to a territorial dispute between the local Santa Rosa de Lima drug cartel, a violent group primarily engaged in fuel theft and trafficking, and the Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG).

Salamanca Mayor César Prieto was the only official to provide early details on Sunday, describing the massacre as part of a “wave of violence” and appealing to the president Claudia Sheinbaum Ask for help.

It also comes just months before the start of the FIFA World Cup, which is co-hosted by Mexico. Canada and USAand the government’s efforts to highlight the progress it has made on security.

Sheinbaum did not mention the incident in Salamanca during Monday’s news conference, deferring to the local prosecutor’s office, which only confirmed an ongoing investigation.

Authorities have not offered any hypotheses as to a possible motive for the attack.

Guanajuato-based security analyst David Saucedo said the attack was likely an “indiscriminate” act by the Santa Rosa de Lima drug cartel.

Saucedo said the group may be specifically targeting the public to incite federal troops to march into territory currently controlled by the rival Jalisco cartel, a move he said “undermines the security image Mexico hopes to project in the run-up to the World Cup.”

The Jalisco Cartel is Mexico’s fastest-growing criminal organization. The Trump administration declared it a terrorist organization and targeted the Santa Rosa de Lima drug cartel.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean: https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america