Footage of a gunman shooting at panicked tourists lying atop Mexico’s historic Pyramid of the Moon has renewed concerns about security in the country as it prepares to co-host millions of soccer fans for the World Cup this summer.
At least one person, a Canadian woman, was killed in the Monday attack in Mexico’s Teotihuacán archeological zone, a major tourist hotspot 30 miles north of Mexico City. Five soccer matches are expected to be played in the capital city when the global tournament kicks off in July.
Seven other foreign nationals – including two Americans – were wounded by gunshots, and another six foreigners suffered varying injuries during the chaos.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has insisted her country is safe for tourists and said authorities will reinforce security to prevent another shooting of this kind.
But the attack may have dealt a blow to the Mexican government’s assertions that the country is a safe place to visit, coming months after widespread attacks by criminal groups in response to a drug lord’s killing.
Here’s what we know about the attack, the shooter and Mexico’s security response.
A premeditated attack
Authorities received the first report of the attack around 11:20 a.m. local time, indicating that an armed man was threatening civilians at the archeological site, according to Cristóbal Castañeda Camarillo, secretary of security for the State of Mexico.
Videos from the scene showed the gunman pacing atop the Pyramid of the Moon, where a crowd of tourists lay on the floor next to him.
After members of the National Guard arrived around 11:30 a.m., the attacker fired shots in their direction, Castañeda Camarillo said. The guardsmen returned fire, wounding the shooter in the leg before he took his life.
The shooter was identified as 27-year-old Mexican citizen Julio César Jasso Ramírez, who acted alone and had no ties to criminal groups or drug cartels, which are usually behind Mexico’s most violent attacks.
Officials said the attack appeared to be premediated, with the gunman visiting the archaeological zone several times, staying in nearby hotels before the deadly incident.
“Based on the investigative steps taken, it appears this act was not spontaneous. The attacker planned and carried out his action alone,” José Luis Cervantes Martínez, the attorney general of the State of Mexico, told a press conference.
Attacks of this kind are rare in Mexico, said Sheinbaum on Tuesday. “We have never witnessed anything like this in Mexico before; it is the first time such an event has occurred.”
She said the attacker showed signs of “psychological issues and was influenced by incidents that had taken place abroad.”
The incident also occurred on the 27th anniversary of the Columbine attack, in which two students at a Colorado high school carried out a mass shooting, killing 14 people.
While Sheinbaum didn’t specify if she was referring to the Columbine massacre, Cervantes Martínez noted that the attacker was carrying a backpack containing handwritten notes related to violent events that occurred in the United States in April 1999.
‘World Cup security is guaranteed’
Mexico has successfully hosted big events, including a recent Shakira concert in March attended by 400,000 people.
But those successes have been clouded by days of violence unleashed following the February killing of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Sheinbaum insisted at the time there was “no risk” to soccer fans, while FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he had “complete confidence” that everything would “turn out for the best.”
In light of Monday’s attack on the archeological site, Mexican commentators have questioned whether the country can effectively guarantee the safety of tourists and locals in the upcoming World Cup.
Mexico is set to host 13 matches from June 11 to July 5 in three cities, including its capital, where the opener will be played.
Authorities insist they’re ready for the event, saying they will further beef up security as a precaution. “Following the president’s instructions, security will now also be strengthened at archaeological sites, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture and other authorities, in matters related to the World Cup,” Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said Tuesday.
“We are convinced that World Cup security is guaranteed,” he added.
Sheinbaum acknowledged that the attacker was able to enter Teotihuacán with a gun because archaeological sites don’t have security checkpoints.
“Why? Because this situation has never occurred before,” she said of the vast archaeological zone, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to several monuments including the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon.
“Now that this situation has arisen, obviously, as authorities, we have to increase security checks to ensure that no one enters an archaeological site or public place with a firearm.”
CNN’s Mauricio Torres, Uriel Blanco, Avery Schmitz and Max Saltman contributed to this report.
