Mexico considering legal action over El Paso shooting
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Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard on Sunday said his country's attorney general is considering litigation alleging Saturday's mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, which left seven Mexican citizens dead, was an act of terrorism.
"For Mexico, this individual is a terrorist," Ebrard said. El Paso is a border town, and Mexicans often cross over from Ciudad Juarez to do their shopping in the city. A total of 20 people were killed in the shooting, and authorities said the suspect posted an anti-immigrant manifesto online prior to the massacre. Jesus Seade, Mexico's deputy foreign minister for North America, called the shooting "xenophobic barbarism," and Ebrard said he wants the U.S. to take a strong stance against hate crimes.
Ebrard did not reveal in which jurisdiction Mexico could file the litigation, but did say he plans on asking the United States for more information on how the suspect was able to get the weapon used in the shooting and whether officials were aware he bought it. If Mexico goes goes through with litigation, the country could request the gunman's extradition, Reuters reports.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
