Attacks In 2 Mexican States Retaliation For Detained Criminal Leaders: President

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday that violent attacks reported in two states were in response to the arrest of criminal leaders.

He said the attacks were carried out late Tuesday, hours after the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA), Luis Cresencio Sandoval, and police disrupted an apparent meeting between criminal gangs.

"There was a confrontation. There were arrests. This is what provoked the protests, the burning of vehicles, not only in Jalisco but also in Guanajuato. There are detainees in both Jalisco and Guanajuato. Of those who were at the meeting, apparently, they were heads of the groups," Lopez Obrador said at a news conference.

SEDENA personnel and police remain in the areas and are looking for suspects linked to the attacks.

In the central western state of Jalisco, there were reports of multiple shootings in different areas and roadblocks with cars being burned.

Fighting between the military and National Guard against criminal groups resulted in violent roadblocks in the city of Zapopan, with suspected criminals obstructing access to the city with hijacked vehicles that were later torched.

Subsequently, 274 kilometers (170 miles) from Jalisco, in Guanajuato, there were reports of attacks with several convenience stores and pharmacies burned by criminals, as well as public transportation units and private cars.

The violence was focused mainly in the cities of Leon, Irapuato, Celaya, Silao and the state's capital, Guanajuato.

The state's Interior Ministry linked the violence to attacks in Jalisco and said two suspects with gasoline cans were apprehended and are being investigated for terrorism.​​​​​​​ -