Five Mexican police officers were shot dead and five others wounded Wednesday in violence-hit Michoacan state on the eve of the World Cup opener in Mexico City, local authorities said.
The state government reported that unknown assailants attacked the officers in an Indigenous region of the western state, which is plagued by cartel violence.
The pickup truck they were travelling in was riddled with bullet holes.
The attack took place in the municipality of Nahuatzen, a region inhabited by the Purepecha people where the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) operates.
In May, the brazen murder of a small-city mayor, allegedly by the CJNG, prompted angry protests targeting symbols of the state, which many residents accused of failing to combat spiralling violence.
Michoacán's capital, Morelia, is situated around 300 kilometres from both Mexico City and fellow World Cup host city Guadalajara.
The state’s security department stated, “police were searching for the perpetrators of Wednesday’s attack.”
Mexico’s government insists that there is no security threat to visiting World Cup fans.
Mexico is co-hosting the tournament with Canada and the United States.
