Mexico detains suspect after car bomb wounds 10

Mexican authorities have detained a suspect after a car bomb outside a police station in Ojocaliente wounded 10 people in Zacatecas state.

The explosion happened overnight Sunday and injured two police officers and eight civilians. Three of the injured remained in hospital.

Authorities said a man parked a vehicle loaded with explosives behind a police patrol car, left the engine running and walked away. The vehicle exploded minutes later, damaging the police station, other vehicles and nearby homes.

Zacatecas District Attorney Cristian Camacho said in a radio interview that state police arrested a person during a “major operation” on Monday who “appears to be involved in these events.” Local government officials had announced the arrest late Monday.

Camacho linked the bombing to the arrest the previous day of an 18-year-old man who claimed to be a hitman for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. He previously said authorities believed the cartel was likely responsible for the attack.

It was not immediately clear whether the detainee was suspected of being the driver of the explosives-laden car.

The attack was the third of its kind in less than a week in Zacatecas, where Mexico's two largest drug cartels have been fighting for control. Zacatecas is a key transit point for drugs moving toward the United States.

In July, five bodies were found hanging from a bridge in the town of Pozos de Gamboa, about 75 kilometres from Ojocaliente.