FGR reserves Citlalli Hernández bombing investigation until 2031
MEXICO CITY — The Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) has reserved the investigation into the May 2019 explosive attack against then-senator Citlalli Hernández for an additional five years, citing national security concerns and active organized crime inquiries. The decision pushes public disclosure of the case file to 2031.
Extending the Secrecy Order on a Senate Office Bombing
The federal prosecutor’s office issued its formal response to an information request filed by EL UNIVERSAL, confirming that the records remain tied to an open investigation overseen by the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office. According to the official document, identified as oficio FGR/UETAG/004019/2026, releasing the details prematurely could compromise ongoing operations and warn suspects linked to organized crime.
The attack occurred on the night of May 29, 2019. A homemade explosive device fashioned in the shape of a book detonated inside Hernández’s office on the third floor of the Senate office tower. The lawmaker suffered light burns, clothing covered in white dust, and fled immediately to the building’s medical service located one floor below.
Following the incident, then-president Andrés Manuel López Obrador characterized the weapon as a low-impact homemade bomb, emphasizing that his political movement relied strictly on peaceful methods. In June 2019, the FGR initially sealed the file for five years. That confidentiality period was extended last August for another five-year term.
Legal Justifications and Penalties for Disclosure
Federal officials maintain that divulging the contents of the file poses a real, demonstrable, and identifiable risk to the public interest. The FGR asserted that opening the records would expose investigative strategies, evidence-gathering techniques, and the operational capacity of the agency to substantiate criminal charges before a judicial authority.
The prosecutor’s office underscored that violating the confidentiality of an active investigation constitutes a direct offense against the administration of justice. Under Article 225 of the Federal Penal Code, public servants who release reserved or confidential documents from an ongoing penal process face both administrative and criminal penalties.
Political Reactions to the Extended Classification
Ricardo Monreal, federal deputy and coordinator of Morena’s parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies, voiced regret that the conclusions and specific details of the investigation remain hidden years after the attack. Monreal, who coordinated the Morena Senate caucus at the time of the explosion, recalled providing direct support to Hernández in the immediate aftermath of the blast.
