A gunfight between soldiers and cartel criminals near the US-Mexico border forced a major airport to close.
Dramatic footage shows a soldier firing a machine gun at armed gangsters on a motorway near the airport.
Violence rocked the city of Nuevo Laredo located on the border with Texas, US.
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The gunfight followed the arrest of suspected cartel boss Ricardo Gonzalez, who has the alias El Ricky.
The US consulate in Nuevo Laredo issued a security alert stating they had “received reports of multiple gunfights throughout the city”.
US government personnel were advised to seek shelter.
As a result of the cartel-related violence, the Nuevo Laredo International Airport halted all operations on Monday (3 Jan).
Officials initially estimated that flights would be suspended until the following day but some operations resumed later the same afternoon.
Earlier in the day, the authorities advised residents to not leave their homes.
The city was rocked by a series of intense clashes that lasted for several hours.
Violence broke out after Gonzalez, 27, was placed under arrest.
He is believed to be the second-in-command of the Cartel of the Northeast.
Omar García Harfuch, head of the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection, said: “The leader of a group that generates violence and operates in Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and Coahuila is linked to extortion and multiple attacks on Fuerza Civil police officers in Nuevo León.
“There are arrest warrants for homicide and illegal deprivation of liberty.”
He is also suspected of leading an ambush against Mexican Army soldiers on 17 August last year.
The attack left two soldiers dead and five wounded.
He is also accused of qualified homicide, kidnapping, attacks on official institutions, extortion and migrant trafficking.
Following his capture, Gonzalez was transferred to the Specialised Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime (FEMDO) where he will face trial.
The gunfight came a week after the US consulate issued warnings about shootouts, kidnappings and bombings in Mexican border regions.
Separately, the US Department of State issued a travel warning for Tamaulipas State, which borders Nuevo Laredo, last week.
On Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum vowed to deploy 10,000 troops to the border in the face of mounting pressure from Washington to halt drug trafficking, as reported by Need To Know.
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