MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A shootout between Mexican authorities and an alleged criminal group in the northern state of Nuevo Leon left 11 of the armed attackers dead, the state government said late on Wednesday.
That morning, the criminals had pulled up to the local police station in the small municipality of General Teran, about 100 km southeast of industrial hub Monterrey, and shot at the building, according to the government.
The men are believed to have belonged to a criminal group that operates out of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, on the border with Texas, the state security minister told local media.
The minister did not name the group, although security experts say the Northeast Cartel is present in the area.
After the shooting, the state police's civil force, the national guard and the army kicked off a search for the group and captured a man dressed in camouflage, tactical gear and carrying a long gun, the government said.
It named the 30-year-old man as Alejandro "N," in line with the country's norms for those accused of crimes.
The search continued after the man's arrest, the government said, and the group came upon a convoy of around eight trucks carrying armed men along the highway east of Monterrey.
Shooting broke out at the start of the chase, the government said. In the end, 11 of the criminals were killed by authorities. No security personnel were wounded in the fight, according to the state.
Six pick-ups were confiscated after the fight, authorities said, implying two trucks escaped.