Gunfights shake Mexican border city, disrupting flights

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico: Gunfights on Monday shook a Mexican border city plagued by drug cartel-related violence, forcing the suspension of flights at the local airport, authorities said.

The violence in Nuevo Laredo, just south of Texas, followed the arrest of an alleged local cartel leader, Ricardo Gonzalez, alias “El Ricky.” The US consulate in Nuevo Laredo issued a security alert saying that it had “received reports of multiple gunfights throughout the city.”

US government personnel were advised to shelter in place, it added. Nuevo Laredo airport canceled flights and was expected to reschedule them for Tuesday, Mayor Carmen Lilia Canturosas said on social media.