Mexico opens terrorism investigation after car bomb explosion kills 5

Five people have died after a car exploded outside a local police facility in western Mexico, according to federal prosecutors. Authorities said the incident is now being investigated as an act linked to organized crime and possible terrorism.

The explosion occurred on Saturday in Coahuayana, a municipality in the state of Michoacán, according to the Attorney General’s Office (FGR). In a statement on Sunday, the FGR said five people were killed in the blast and another 12 were injured.

Local media reported that the explosion took place outside the offices of a community police group, in a region that analysts say has been contested by criminal organizations due to its strategic location along coastal and inland routes.

The Mexican prosecutor’s office said the inquiry will be led by its Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime and will determine whether the attack qualifies as terrorism under Mexican law. Federal forensic teams and investigative police were deployed to the scene, including specialists in explosives.

Michoacán has experienced a series of high-profile incidents in recent weeks, including the assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo during Day of the Dead celebrations in the city’s main plaza, an attack authorities have attributed to factions linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

The CJNG and factions aligned with United Cartels (CU) have fought for control of the area. Both groups have been designated terrorist organizations by the Trump administration.