U.S. Closes Consular Agency in Playa del Carmen, Bars Employees From Travel Over ‘Security Threat’

From “U.S. Closes Consular Agency in Playa del Carmen, Bars Employees From Travel Over ‘Security Threat'”
ABC News (03/08/18) Finnegan, Conor. Posted by ASIS International.

The U.S. has closed its consular agency in Playa del Carmen, a coastal resort town in Mexico, and is restricting its employees from traveling there over a “security threat.” The State Department offered few details on what the threat was, saying only that one was received by the embassy in Mexico City on March 7. The warnings come after a bomb exploded on a ferry that runs between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel in February, injuring 25 people, including two Americans. One week later, an unexploded ordinance was found on another ferry in Cozumel, Mexico. The State Department confirmed “undetonated explosive devices” were discovered on the ferry by Mexican law enforcement, warned Americans to “exercise caution,” and barred employees from traveling on that ferry route. Both incidents are still under investigation. “We take our obligation to provide information to U.S. citizens seriously as evidenced by the clear, timely, and reliable safety and security information we release worldwide,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said. Both the closure of the consular agency and the limits on personnel travel will continue “until further notice,” added Nauert. Still, Americans were not told to avoid travel to Playa del Carmen. The State Department’s alert system ranks it at a “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution.”

Author: Gregory Schmidt, CPP, PSP, CHSS

Gregory M. Schmidt, CPP, PSP, CHSS of Eagle/ Trident Security is board certified in Security Management, Physical Security, and Healthcare Security supervision. He has over thirty years of experience developing dynamic security programs, plans and policies for businesses in Indiana, Kansas and Florida. His conversation-style personal safety seminars are highly regarded and always in demand. Mr. Schmidt is a member of ASIS International, the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering.