Armed Men Attack Mexican Newspaper

Armed men attacked a newspaper in the northern Mexican city of Torreón early Tuesday even after the paper stopped reporting on organized crime.

El Siglo de Torreon's website says at least three men drove up, set fire to the facade of its offices and opened fire at its sales offices.

The paper's assistant editorial director, Javier Garza, said the attack is puzzling because more than a year ago the paper stopped mentioning drug cartels or reporting stories about organized crime. Other media in the nearby border state of Tamaulipas also practice self-censorship.

Garza added that the paper had published information about military actions in the area in recent weeks, but it had not received any previous threats.

"The media is still vulnerable," Garza said.

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According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the attack on El Siglo is the second against a media facility in 10 days. On November 6 the office of El Buen Tono in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz was vandalized and set on fire.

Mexican media organizations and journalists have seen a rise in the number of attacks in recent years as drug cartels have confronted government forces.

In May, Vanguardia, a newspaper in the city of Saltillo, was the target of a hand grenade attack and in February, gunmen stormed two media companies in Torreón, killing a TV engineer. In total, over a dozen news facilities were attacked with either guns or explosives last year in Mexico.

El Siglo de Torreón was also attacked in 2009.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.