Mexico City:
Gunmen killed six people at a party in northwestern Mexico on Friday, including an alleged criminal believed to have been the target of the attack, authorities said.
“Initial investigations indicate that it was a direct attack against the leader of a criminal group that had arrest warrants for attempted femicide, murder, illegal deprivation of liberty and criminal association,” the Sonora Public Prosecutor's Office said.
It said the unknown target was killed along with five others, while 26 people were injured in the early morning attack in the Cajeme municipality.
Prosecutors said they could not confirm reports that the gathering was a 15th birthday party.
Cartel gunmen have a history of attacking social gatherings in Mexico, where more than 420,000 people have been killed since 2006 in a spiral of drug-related violence.
On December 17, gunmen opened fire on a Christmas party attended by young Mexicans in the central state of Guanajuato, killing 11 people.
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