Mexican drug cartel threats lead U.S. to close Juarez consulate

JUAREZ, MEXICO -- Threats of drug cartel attacks against authorities have prompted U.S. officials to shut down their large consulate in this border city and provide no indication when the building might reopen.

A statement posted Thursday night on the consulate's Web site said the facility was reviewing its "security posture." The brief message urged Americans to avoid the general area around the heavily fortified, embassy-size building.

A car bombing in the city on July 15 that killed three has raised fears that new explosions could occur anytime, and that even the city's most well-guarded structures are vulnerable.

(More on the car bomb attack)

The bombing was followed by a threat four days later warning that a more powerful bomb would be set off if authorities did not take action against corrupt federal police with alleged ties to the Sinaloa cartel. The July 15 incident and the subsequent threat have been linked to the Juarez cartel, the Sinaloa cartel's main rival for control of the area's smuggling routes.

The U.S. statement did not mention the bomb incident, but officials said they had received credible threats of attacks planned against the consulate. The facility was also closed temporarily in March after an employee, her husband and another employee's husband were gunned down by cartel assassins.

Mexican authorities said they have been screening vehicles at a variety of public buildings around the city, as well as hotels that have been functioning as barracks for the federal police and soldiers who have been brought in to battle the drug gangs.

Juarez is Mexico's most dangerous city, with 1,645 killed so far this year, according to local media tallies.

(More on Mexico's drug violence)