Attacker of US consular official in Mexico is an American

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The suspect in the shooting attack on a US consular official in the Mexican city of Guadalajara is an American and will be deported back to the country to face further legal action, authorities said Sunday.

The suspect is "an individual with US nationality" and "will be expelled and repatriated to the United States, where his legal status will be determined," the Mexican Foreign Ministry and Attorney General's office said in a joint statement.

It called the attack "sordid and cowardly" but the statement did not indicate the possible motive nor reveal the identities of the victim or the suspect.

CFP Photo‍

The suspect was arrested by Mexican authorities in "close collaboration" with the FBI and the US embassy, the statement said, without providing more details about the day or circumstances of the capture.

Mexican and US authorities will continue to collaborate in the investigation "in order to shed light on the circumstances in which the American consular representative was wounded," it said.

The official was shot on Friday in a brazen attack by a man wearing a black wig and a blue nurse uniform outside a shopping center's garage in Mexico's second biggest city.

A US government official told AFP the victim was a vice consul, who Mexican authorities said handled interviews of visa applicants.

(Story adapted from AFP)

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