Homemade Explosive Caused Ferry Blast, Mexico Says

The investigation has reportedly ruled out terrorism
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 11, 2018 4:06 PM CDT
Homemade Explosive Caused Ferry Blast, Mexico Says
In this Friday, March 2, 2018 photo, tourists and passengers disembark from a ferry on to the wharf on Playa del Carmen, Mexico   (AP Photo/Gabriel Alcocer)

Mexican authorities say a rudimentary or homemade explosive device was responsible for a tourist ferry blast that injured 26 people Feb. 21 in the Caribbean resort city of Playa del Carmen. But Deputy Attorney General Arturo Elias Beltran said Sunday at a news conference that terrorism and organized crime have been "ruled out," the AP reports. Federal prosecutors say there is no motivation for a terrorist group to have carried out an attack. They also believe criminal gangs would not have done it, knowing it would draw unwanted attention and increased security. Prosecutors also say an object found attached to the underside of another ferry belonging to the same company later near Cozumel Island is a similar "rudimentary artifact." Authorities are pursuing multiple lines of investigation. (More Mexico stories.)

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