El Paso Mass Shooting, A Terror Act: Mexican Foreign Minister

Mexican Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard visited El Paso, Texas, on Monday and held a press conference at the Consulate General of Mexico. 

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The minister confirmed that eight Mexican citizens were killed while six more are still recovering from their injuries, after Saturday's shooting at Walmart. Mexicans nationals constitute about a third of the total number of dead, which stood at 22 as of Monday morning, according to El Paso police. 

“We consider this to be an act of terror,” Ebrard said, “obviously in the United States territory, but against Mexicans citizens.” The official highlighted the importance of this statement which will allow his country to participate in the investigation and the trial against “the perpetrator of this tragedy,” and to share information with U.S. authorities on the case, according to the Mexican law.

“We are also analyzing actions regarding gun control,” said the ministry before he explained  that conforming to the law, and as the tragedy is considered an act of terror, “if the general attorney approves it, a petition will be sent to demand the extradition of the criminal who perpetrated the murders.”

The Mexican official then went on to comment about U.S. President Donald Trump’s statements on the tragedy.

“We followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement this morning and we coincide with his condemnation of racism and white supremacy as serious problems in the US,” he said adding that the Mexican government also shares United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres statements against racism in our societies.

Ebrard also took the opportunity to thank, on behalf of the victims, all the messages of solidarity and support from the Mexicans in the country and all around the world.

The massacre occurred Saturday morning in the heavily Hispanic border city of El Paso, where a gunman killed 22 people at a Walmart store before surrendering. 

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the rampage appeared to be a hate crime, and police said they believed the suspect, a 21-year-old white man, may have been racially motivated.

El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen said investigators were examining a “manifesto” from the suspect indicating “there is a potential nexus to a hate crime.”

A four-page statement posted on 8chan, an online message board often used by extremists, and believed to have been written by the suspect, called the Walmart attack “a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.”