August 30th, 2011
10:18 AM ET

Deadly casino fire 'got out of control'

The suspects arrested in connection with a Mexico casino fire told investigators that civilians were not their target, but that the blaze "got out of control," killing 52 people and injuring others, including some of the alleged perpetrators, officials said Tuesday.

The governor and attorney general of Nuevo Leon state, which shares a border with Texas, revealed new details in the investigation into last week's fire before presenting the five suspects arrested so far to the media.

"The people were not the target, it was the casino," Nuevo Leon Attorney General Adrian de la Garza said. "It was a chaotic situation that got out of control."

The alleged arsonists shouted at patrons to leave the casino as they set it on fire, he said.

The five suspects are members of the Los Zetas drug cartel and carried out the attack because the owners of the casino had not complied with their extortion demands, officials said.

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Filed under: Drug violence • Mexico
soundoff (5 Responses)
  1. amigo mantoya

    Hmmm they didn't mean for it to get out of control?Starting a fire? Great defense, maybe they ought to hire Casey Anthony's lawyer.

    August 30, 2011 at 10:26 am | Report abuse |
  2. s kel

    hopefully the mexican govt machine guns will "get out control" if at least some of theses fools get the death penalty.

    August 30, 2011 at 10:38 am | Report abuse |
    • getreal74

      sorry unfortunately no death penalty in mexico unless its the cartels sentencing someone to death

      August 30, 2011 at 2:19 pm | Report abuse |
  3. banasy©

    Oh, so those pesky people inside of the casino were just in the wrong place at the wrong time?
    Collateral damage?
    What did these morons *expect* to happen?
    Jacassios!

    August 30, 2011 at 12:23 pm | Report abuse |
  4. bernard

    Here we go again always something about some drug cartel doing this an that, now with U.S being the no.one consumer of drugs america better wake up and make marihuana legal and cocaine & heroin because if we tax the drugs and then the cartels will go out of bussiness and we americans will get out o debt and the jails won't be full let's fight drugs on another level and all this cartel mess will go away and the killing and crime will go away they won't try it but what the U.S needs something to get out of debt ?(B in michigan)never give up giveing god the glory!!

    August 30, 2011 at 1:24 pm | Report abuse |
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