Bomb Threat Thwarted in Mexico City

Homemade Bomb Leads to Evacuation of Mexico's Highest Office Tower

September 4, 2007
Mexico City, Mexico

A bomb threat last Thursday to Mexico City's highest office building, the 55-story Torre Mayor, led to the evacuation of nearly 11,000 people. A search of the building turned up a homemade bomb made of galvanized tubing filled with fast-acting explosives.

Two telephone calls to building officials had warned them that a car parked in the building's garage contained a bomb. More than 200 government security and bomb squad officers mobilized on the scene, blocking off traffic while the building was evacuated. Officials say the bomb, which did not explode, would have caused "limited" damage-about as much as a grenade.

A similar call to the Torre Mayor the day before, on Wednesday, led to a search of the building that turned up nothing. The building's occupants were evacuated, but were told it was just a drill. And on Friday, the day after the bomb was discovered, yet another false bomb threat led to a third evacuation of the building.

A far-left terrorist fringe group, Ejército Popular Revolucionario (Popular Revolutionary Army, or EPR), has claimed credit for the bomb that was found. EPR has claimed responsibility for several high-profile attacks recently, including the bombing of a Sears store and the attempted bombing of a Banamex (Bank of Mexico) branch, both in Oaxaca in August, and two July attacks on gas lines belonging to Pemex (Petroleos Mexicanos, the Mexican national oil company) in the states of Guanajuato and Querétaro. To date, there have been no casualties in any of these attacks, though there has been material damage.

The attack on Torre Mayor fits the pattern of EPR's attacks. The Torre Mayor is one of the tallest buildings in Latin America and is a Mexico City icon, a visible symbol of progress. The glass-and-steel skyscraper in Mexico City's financial district has 24 multinational tenants, including Apple Inc. and First Data Corporation.

EPR's goals seem to be to destabilize the democratic process and halt economic reform, both of which have been making rapid strides in Mexico. According to some news reports, Mexican officials fear that EPR may have aligned itself with Cuban agents or with drug cartels.

Best Regards,

Suzan Haskins
Editor, Mexico Insider
International Living

P.S. Despite this troubling price of progress, Mexico is a very safe place and is still the #1 place to live and retire. Join us in Puerto Vallarta September 23-25 to learn all about it.