Director Of Nuevo Leon Central Intelligence killed in Brazen Attack

Drug hitmen killed a senior police chief in one of the most brazen attacks yet in Monterrey, Mexico's richest city, El Norte daily reported.

Homero Salcido Treviño was the head of the state of Nuevo Leon's security and intelligence agency and, according to preliminary investigations, was shot on Sunday night in a government issued armored SUV. Attackers then threw a grenade inside the vehicle, the newspaper said.

According to El Norte, witnesses said it appeared Salcido had been kidnapped by drug gang members who drove him to a central area of the city and executed him before throwing a grenade inside the vehicle and driving away.

Salcido, 40, had been in charge of Nuevo Leon's top security agency, C-5, since August. He was the nephew of the former state police chief,Luis Carlos Treviño Berchelmann, who left that post earlier this month, El Norte said.

Violence is spreading fast beyond traditional border flashpoints and Monterrey had a grisly start to 2011. In January there were 118 homicides related to drug trafficking, said the Nuevo Leon State Security spokesman, Jorge Domene Zambrano. In contrast, in the first 31 days of 2010 there were three, according to the federal government, representing an increase of crime by almost 4,000%

Sources: Grupo Reforma, Reuters, Televisa, Milenio