Soldiers stand guard around the hospital where Mexico City Chief of Police Omar Garcia Harfuch is treated after being attacked by gunmen in Mexico City, Mexico,on Friday. Photo: Xinhua

Mexico's bustling capital was once seen as a relative oasis in the country's raging drug war, but a shocking military-style assassination attempt on the city's police chief offers proof that at least one gang is unafraid to shatter the peace. 

The hyper-violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, was quickly fingered as the probable culprit by the wounded target of the attack, Mexico City security head Omar Garcia Harfuch, in a message tapped out on his phone shortly after the shooting, likely from his hospital bed.

The 38-year-old Garcia Harfuch, who was shot in the shoulder, collarbone and knee during the attack, defiantly pledged to keep working.

While cartel gunmen failed to kill Garcia Harfuch in Friday morning's daybreak hit in one of Mexico City's most upscale neighborhoods, two of his bodyguards plus an innocent bystander on her way to work were gunned down in the crossfire. "Until recently, many denied that big drug cartels operate in Mexico City, and it's just not true," said security expert Erubiel Tirado.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a video message on Saturday that government intelligence services knew that such an attack on the chief was being planned, and were able to warn him ahead of time to take additional precautions. Nearly 20 suspects have already been arrested in the case, according to Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, including the man described as the leader of the attempted assassination.

The attack played out on the city's leafy Paseo de la Reforma Boulevard. Security camera footage showed heavily armed and mostly hooded cartel hit men pouring out of a truck after blocking the roadway and unleashing hundreds of rounds on Garcia Harfuch's armored SUV.

Many analysts described the hit as a show of strength by CJNG and evidence that drug gangs are probably expanding their presence in Mexico's capital. Some, however, offered a contrarian view. "For me, this looked like the futile struggle of a drowning man more than a show of strength," said cartel expert Tomas Guevara.

He noted that preliminary reports describe some three weeks of planning that went into the attack, and pointed to a well-executed counteroffensive by police immediately afterwards in which fleeing cartel gunmen were swiftly rounded up.

"In Mexico City, at least, the police are doing a good job... and I hope this can boost other police departments in other states."

CJNG is regarded as Mexico's strongest gang, along with the Sinaloa Cartel formerly led by jailed kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. It is often credited with successfully infiltrating poorly paid and trained local police departments across the country to better protect its wide-ranging criminal rackets.
Newspaper headline: Mexico City cartel hit threatens peace