UPDATE ON POLICE BOMBING

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Police are holding four suspects in connection with an explosion that killed a man as he apparently tried to plant a bomb targeting a police commander, Mexico City's top prosecutor said Monday.

The four were placed under house arrest over the weekend, said Mexico City Attorney General Rodolfo Felix Cardenas. One of the detainees is Tania Vazquez, 22, who was wounded in the Feb. 15 blast after surveillance cameras captured her walking with the dead man. She is being held at a local hospital where she is undergoing treatment for burns.

Cardenas did not identify the other three suspects, but an employee of the prosecutor's office said they are believed to be minor drug dealers.

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Importance: This is a follow up on a story last week about somone bombing a police commander. Four suspects have been put on house arrest. It was my personal theory that the bombing had something to do with drugs and it proved to be true. This just gives more evidence that most crime in Mexico is traced back to the drug war. Look here for future updates on the case.

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Mexico offers reward for information in deadly blast

MEXICO CITY: Police have offered a US$9,300 (€6,300) reward for information leading to the arrest of additional suspects in the explosion of a homemade bomb allegedly intended for a police commander in Mexico City.

The bomb exploded last Friday just two blocks from police headquarters, killing the man believed to be carrying it and injuring a woman who was captured on videotape with him. The woman, 22-year-old Tania Vazquez, is being treated as a suspect.

Police are seeking "reliable information" that results in more arrests, the capital's police department said in a news release Wednesday night.

Authorities are seeking six additional suspects, according to Mexico City Attorney General Rodolfo Felix Cardenas, who is in charge of the investigation.

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Importance: In this situation, autorities are basically offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person behind the homemade bombs. This could prove to be a problem if they the problem is not taken well care of.

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Drug Violence Reaches Mexico City

MEXICO CITY - A lunchtime blast that killed one person and injured two on a main street near a tourist district has shocked residents of the Mexican capital, which has so far largely avoided the drug violence raging in the rest of the country.

City and federal officials say the homemade bomb, which exploded two blocks from a Mexico City police compound Friday afternoon, was likely the work of organized crime rather than leftist rebels.

The country has suffered from a wave of shootouts, grenade attacks and execution-style killings that left more than 2,500 dead nationwide last year. But authorities say Mexico City traditionally has been more of a meeting place for traffickers looking to close drug deals than a base for their operations.

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Importance: Mexico City has never before been a target of drug cartel's violent plans. Though no one has yet taken responsibility for the explosion, most indicators point to one of the many divisions of organized crime that are beginning to control Mexico. This new attack marks a new extent to which the cartels have come due to President Calderon's increased drug survelliance and crack down.

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