Drug cartel and jihadists plan attack on border during Trump's inauguration, report reveals

Mexican drug cartels and Islamic terrorists have formed an alliance in order to launch attacks against the U.S. during the period surrounding the inauguration, according to a report from a Washington watchdog group.

The report from Judicial Watch suggested that the shootout that occurred last week at the construction site of the new American Consulate in the Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo was connected to the operation planned by the cartels and the jihadists. At least three soldiers were killed or critically wounded in the attack.

A local newspaper in Tamaulipas reported that 13 people were killed in the shootout, referring to the deceased as heavily armed "delinquents."

"Cartels usually don't work with jihadists for fear of having the border shut down," an anonymous veteran federal law enforcement official told Judicial Watch. "But Trump is causing so much disruption in Mexico that they are partnering to send a message as to who is in control. This is as outrageous as a small group of guys crashing planes into U.S. buildings," the veteran added.

The intelligence gathered by law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Mexico indicated that the drug traffickers and terrorists are planning to launch attacks in other towns, including Matamoros, Reynosa and Ciudad Juarez.

A report published by Judicial Watch earlier this month revealed that the jihadis and the cartels in Nuevo Leon are collaborating to carry out attacks in American cities and ports of entry along the southern border. U.S. and Mexican law enforcement have said that Islamic militants have arrived recently at the Monterrey International Airport in Apodaca, about 130 miles south of the Texas border.

Cartel informants have told law enforcement contacts that the terrorists are "only waiting for the order and the times to carry out a simultaneous attack in the different ports of entry or cities of the United States of America."

A high-ranking police administrator stated that the cartels have a working "agreement" with the terrorists, and men from the Middle East arrive regularly in Mexico to "train" the jihadists.

The U.S. Consulate compound where the shootout took place is scheduled to be completed in September. The compound will house multiple buildings, including an office structure, U.S. Marine Security Guard residence and facilities for the consulate community.