Arson attack on the Casino Royale in Monterrey 2011
In the 2011 Monterrey casino attack is the attack on the Bingo - Casino " Royale " in Monterrey , Mexico , on August 25, 2011. Here, the building was set on fire and killed 52 people.
background
In Monterrey, the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel are fighting for supremacy, who expanded their ventures to extortion , kidnapping , prostitution and human trafficking . In the month before the attack alone, around 70 people were killed. Casino casinos were also repeatedly attacked.
Casino Royale is a two-story, 1,720-square-meter bingo club in the San Jerómimo district . It was also possible to play poker and roulette and to bet on horse races . The casino is mainly frequented by retirees. In the afternoons, these are mainly women of the upper middle class for bingo. It belongs to a chain of casinos.
The casino was the target of attacks even before the attack because it refused to pay protection money . In January 2011, masked men abducted a guest from the casino's parking lot. On May 25th (or July 25th?) The club was shot at. Nobody was injured in the process. The owner reported the incident.
In May 2011 the casino was temporarily closed. The reason was deficiencies in fire protection. Too few emergency exits are said to have existed and the escape routes were not marked. However, the Royal was reopened with a provisional commissioning permit (the so-called " Amparo ").
course
On the afternoon of August 25, 2011, at 3:20 pm, twelve masked gunmen who had arrived with several cars broke into the casino, threatened the approximately 100 people present and forced them to lie down. They cursed and fired shots. They then spilled a flammable liquid and started a fire. There were loud explosions, according to initial reports of hand grenades. The bursting of the beverage plant's tanks was later blamed for this.
Because they did not realize the seriousness of the situation, many of the visitors fled to the toilets or offices and died in the flames. According to survivors, however, the emergency exits should have been closed.
The extinguishing work took three or four hours. At least 52 people were killed and dozens were smoke inhaled.
Reactions
President Felipe Calderón spoke of an “ unacceptable act of terrorism ”, a “ hideous act of terror and barbarism ” - and called for punishments.
The spokesman for the National Security Council , Alejandro Poiré , described the attack as a " terrorist attack of unspeakable proportions " and spoke of a " sad evening for Mexico ".
On August 29 , a rally of several hundred demonstrators took place in Monterrey, in front of the government seat of the state of Nuevo León . As a symbol for the victims, 52 pairs of shoes were placed in front of the seat of government. The participants also called for the resignation of Rodrigo Medina and Felipe Calderón.
Investigations
Home Secretary Francisco Blake personally led the investigation.
Victim
The search for bodies continued the day after.
On August 26, one day after the attack, 45 victims, 35 women and 10 men, were identified. One of the women was pregnant.
The majority of the 52 dead died of smoke poisoning . Only seven were killed directly in the flames.
Zetas and those directly involved
On August 29, Governor Rodrigo Medina announced that five members of the Zetas had been arrested in connection with the attack. These were also confessed and confirmed the participation of at least twelve people. According to the governor, the owner of the casino, Raúl Rocha, took a private plane to Miami . He was searched for with Interpol and in collaboration with the United States authorities .
Police officer Miguel Angel Barraza was arrested on September 2 in connection with the attack. He was seen on the video surveillance system when the attack began. Barraza's father, mother-in-law and stepbrother were shot dead by strangers on September 15 at their Monterrey home. The police suspected an act of revenge on the part of the Zetas, as the police officer gave names of members of the cartel involved. The killers also left a message on the scene suggesting this.
On September 8, the prosecutor named 18 suspects and issued phantom drawings for six of them.
On September 14, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office released four photographs of the alleged planners of the attack. These were:
- Francisco Medina Mejía, the alleged leader of the Zetas section that carried out the attack. He is said to have given the order.
- Baltazar Saucedo Estrada, alleged planner
- Roberto Carlos López Castro alias Alberto Alejandro Reyes, alleged planner
- José Alberto Loera Rodríguez, alleged planner
In addition, a bounty between seven and 15 million pesos was advertised on a total of 18 people.
On September 30th, Jorge Domene, a public prosecutor's spokesman, announced that Roberto Carlos Lopez Castro had been arrested in Zapopan . This means that eleven out of 18 suspects are in custody.
On October 4, Federal Police arrested José Alberto Loera Rodríguez in Monterrey. Luis Cardenas Palomino , the regional commander, claimed that Rodríguez had about forty people on duty to inform and warn him of the movements of the security forces. The police named the 28-year-old Rodríguez as one of the planners of the attack. It is said to have been responsible for monitoring the area around the casino. 15 million pesos were exposed on his head. Hector Javier Montoya Chavez (25) and Juan Antonio Melendez Suarez (36) were arrested with Rodríguez. During the arrests, the police seized a variety of weapons, including grenade launchers.
On October 13, the Mexican army announced that it had arrested Carlos Oliva Castillo , suspected of being responsible for the attack , in Saltillo , Coahuila state . According to the police, all of those involved in the arson were arrested. One civilian was killed and eight people, including three police officers, injured. According to the prosecutor, Castillo was believed to have been responsible for the Zetas' activities in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas . He is said to have ordered the arson attack on Casino Royale.
On October 25 or 26, police arrested two other suspects in Monterrey. The two are Antonio Camacho Jaco and Gerardo Alejandro de Leon Jimenez, who are both said to be members of the Zetas. Camacho is said to have brought the fire accelerator into the casino. Both are said to have acted on the instructions of the previously arrested Jose Alberto Loera Rodriguez. A total of 15 people were arrested by the authorities by the end of October.
On January 5, 2012, Baltasar Saucedo Estrada (aka “ Mataperros ”, Spanish for “ dog killer ”), the alleged planner of the attack, was arrested in Monterrey . He was in a car accident while trying to escape a police patrol. He had a $ 1 million bounty written on him. According to the authorities, he is said to have coordinated the attack close to the crime scene. In the first interrogations he stated that the order for the fire had been ordered from a higher authority. The reason for this was the refusal of at least one of the owners to pay protection money.
Politics and authorities
On August 28, the Monterrey Authority closed all 17 of the city's casinos. Protection racket and cooperation with criminal gangs were given as reasons. The attorney general's office is investigating the local police.
In September, prosecutors indicted Roberto Correa, who regulates Monterrey casinos, and Manuel Fierro, also a senior official, of abuse of office. Both are suspected of illegally issuing permits. Both people are fleeting.
After the fire, a video was released showing the brother of the Mayor of Monterrey Fernando Larrazábal Bretón , Manuel Jonás Larrazábal, accepting a large amount of money in a casino. Manuel Jonás Larrazábal was arrested on September 1 and placed under house arrest without charge. In early November, the Casino Red Company withdrew the complaint and he was released without charge.
On October 8, the former mayor of Monterrey, Adalberto Madero , was arrested. He is said to have illegally issued the operating license for the casino.
Arrests
| Surname | Alias | Age | Date of arrest | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Carlos Carrazco Espinoza | Chihuas | 25th | 29th August | Transferred to Topo Chico prison. |
| Javier Alonso Martínez Morales | Javo | 37 | ||
| Jonathan Jahir Reyna Gutiérrez | 18th | |||
| Juan Ángel Leal Flores | El Casillas o Cash | 20th | ||
| Julio Tadeo Berrones Ramírez | Julio Rayas | 28 | ||
| Luis Adán Gómez Vázquez | El Gordo | 33 | September 18 | |
| Jonathan Estrada Pérez | La Tita | 20th | Transferred to Topo Chico prison. | |
| Tomás Barbosa Sánchez | Tommy | 21st | ||
| José Alfredo Grimaldo Rodríguez | El Tejón | 19th |
Transferred to Topo Chico prison. |
|
| Alan Enrique | El Pikachu | 15 o 16 |
Was released on September 27th and arrested again on October 26th |
|
| Roberto Carlos López Castro | El Toruño | September 29th | ||
| José Alberto Loera Rodríguez | El Voltaje | 28 | 5th October | |
| Carlos Oliva Castillo | La Rana | 37 | October 14th | alleged planner of the attack |
| Antonio Camacho Jaco | El Bogar | 24 | October 21 | Zetas leader in northern Monterrey Has been transferred to Topo Chico prison. |
| Gerardo Alejandro de León Jiménez | El papas | Transferred to Topo Chico prison. | ||
| Américo Orlando Soto Reyes | El Bam Bam o El Junior | 23 | October 26th | |
| Saúl Becerra Reyes | El Pelón or El Chueco | 21st | ||
| Jesús Rafael Torres Bautista | El Colitas | 18th | November 4th | |
| José Mejía Garza | El Flaco o El Negro | 24 | Originally from Monclova , Coahuila | |
| Jesus | Chuy Pestañas | 16 | ||
| Itzama | Chama | 16 | ||
| Yesenia | 17th | |||
| Yaresi | ale | 15th | ||
| Hugo Iván Santos Doria | El Monky o Manitas | November 9th | Participated as an informant. | |
| Baltazar Saucedo Estrada | El Mataperros | January 5th | Presumed planner; He may have provided the material for the attack. Second in the chain of command |
|
memorial
Two months after the attack, the victims' family members erected a memorial with 53 crosses at the crime scene. 52 crosses bore the names of the victims and another got the word "baby" for the unborn child of a pregnant victim. They also left a tape with the words:
«Sr. Presidente Felipe Calderón le pedimos que honre su palabra, caiga quien caiga. "
"Mr. President Felipe Calderón, we ask you to keep your word whatever may come. "
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Klaus Ehringfeld: Mafia terror in northern Mexico. In: Frankfurter Rundschau . August 26, 2011, accessed August 30, 2011 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i 53 dead in arson attack on casino. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . August 26, 2011, accessed August 30, 2011 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g Protection money refused. In: ORF . August 26, 2011, accessed August 30, 2011 .
- ↑ a b c d Toni Keppeler: Drug war over bingo club. In: the daily newspaper . August 26, 2011, accessed August 30, 2011 .
- ^ A b c d Sandra Weiss: Terror meets arbitrariness by the authorities. In: The time . August 26, 2011, accessed August 31, 2011 .
- ↑ a b 53 dead in an attack on the casino. In: the daily newspaper. August 26, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2011 .
- ↑ a b c d Mastermind arrested by the casino fire. In: The Standard . January 7, 2012, accessed January 13, 2012 .
- ↑ a b Casino in Monterrey should pay protection money. In: look . August 28, 2011, accessed June 26, 2019 .
- ^ Demonstrations after the arson attack in Mexico. In: The world . August 29, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011 .
- ↑ a b 3 More suspects arrested in Mexico casino attack. (No longer available online.) In: Fox News Channel . October 5, 2011, archived from the original on October 6, 2011 ; accessed on October 7, 2011 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ After the attack in Monterrey: five "Zetas" arrested. In: The Standard. August 29, 2011, accessed August 31, 2011 .
- ↑ Mexico: Police arrest suspects - and are looking for more. In: Kronen Zeitung . August 31, 2011, accessed August 31, 2011 .
- ↑ a b c David Luhnow and Jose de Cordoba: Casino Arrests Stir Scandal in Mexico. In: The Wall Street Journal . October 14, 2011, accessed October 14, 2011 .
- ^ Monterrey casino attack: Mexican police officer held. In: BBC News . September 2, 2011, accessed September 2, 2011 .
- ^ Monterrey casino arson attack policeman's family killed. In: BBC News. September 15, 2011, accessed September 16, 2011 .
- ↑ Nick Valencia: Police: Killings of 3 look like revenge for Mexico casino massacre. (No longer available online.) In: CNN . September 15, 2011, archived from the original on September 18, 2011 ; Retrieved September 19, 2011 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ A b Monterrey casino attack: More suspects sought over fire. In: BBC News. September 8, 2011, accessed September 15, 2011 .
- ↑ a b c d e f Mexican Authorities Identify 4 Suspected Casino Attack Planners. In: Fox News Channel. September 14, 2011, accessed September 19, 2011 .
- ↑ a b Suspected Mastermind of Mexican Casino Attack Arrested. In: Latin American Herald Tribune . Retrieved October 3, 2011 .
- ↑ Attack on casino organized? In: ORF . November 2, 2011, accessed November 2, 2011 .
- ↑ Mexico nabs more suspects in casino massacre. (No longer available online.) In: Fox News Channel. October 25, 2011, archived from the original on November 3, 2011 ; accessed on October 27, 2011 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Mexico arrests 'mastermind' of Monterrey casino fire. In: BBC News. January 6, 2012, accessed January 13, 2012 .
- ↑ Ralf Leonhard: The war goes on. In: the daily newspaper. September 4, 2011, accessed September 5, 2011 .
- ^ Monterrey mayor's brother to be released in casino investigation. In: valleycentral.com. November 15, 2011, accessed December 2, 2011 .
- ^ Ex-Mayor in Mexico Casino Case Arrested. In: Fox News Channel. October 10, 2011, accessed October 14, 2011 .
- ↑ a b c d e Cinco personas detenidas por incendio de casino en NL. In: informador.com.mx. August 21, 2011, Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish).
- ↑ a b c d e Van al Topo Chico 10 implicados en caso Royale. (No longer available online.) In: aztecanoticias.com.mx. October 27, 2011, archived from the original on February 26, 2012 ; Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ `El Gordo` list of plaza, implicado en ataque a casino. In: YouTube . Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish).
- ↑ a b c detiene a 4 implicados en el ataque al Casino Royale. In: YouTube. Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish).
- ↑ a b Cae `La Tita`, y 3 involucrados más en ataque de Casino Royale. In: lapoliciaca.com. Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish).
- ↑ Exámenes psicológicos reflejan que atacantes del casino Royale son peligrosos. (No longer available online.) In: Zona Ffranca. September 27, 2011, archived from the original on February 26, 2012 ; Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Liberan a menor detenido por ataque al Royale. In: unonoticias.com. September 27, 2011, Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish).
- ^ Caen "El junior" and "El Chueco" implicados en el ataque al Casino Royale. In: YouTube. Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish).
- ↑ a b Capturan a El Voltaje, jefe zeta implicado en ataque al Royale. (No longer available online.) In: milenio.com. October 5, 2011, archived from the original on February 26, 2012 ; Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Cae "La Rana", the presunto author intelectual del ataque al Casino Royale. In: CNN Español. October 13, 2011, Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish).
- ↑ Otro presunto author intelectual del ataque al casino Royale queda detenido. (No longer available online.) In: CNN Mexico. October 4, 2011, archived from the original on February 16, 2012 ; Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Detenidos otros dos supuestos implicados en el ataque al casino de Monterrey. In: noticias.terra.com. October 24, 2011, Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish).
- ↑ a b Caen 2 involucrados más en the case de Casino Royale (video). (No longer available online.) In: politicareal.mx. October 27, 2011, archived from the original on February 26, 2012 ; Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Capturan a `El Colitas`, implicado en ataque al Casino Royale. In: YouTube. Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish).
- ↑ a b c d e f g Confirman captura de “El Colitas”, presunto 'zeta' implicado en caso Royale ( Memento of the original dated November 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Presentan a presunto implicado en ataque a Casino Royale. (No longer available online.) In: jornada.unam.mx. Formerly in the original ; Retrieved November 10, 2011 (Spanish). ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Capturan a “El Mataperros”, responsable del incendio del Royale. (No longer available online.) In: milenio.com. January 5, 2012, archived from the original on January 8, 2012 ; Retrieved February 17, 2012 (Spanish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ A b Familias lloran a víctimas del Royale y claman justicia. In: milenio.com. October 27, 2011, accessed September 27, 2012 .
Coordinates: 25 ° 40 ′ 27 " N , 100 ° 21 ′ 17.8" W.