Mexican army arrests 'Tweety Bird' over killing of U.S. immigration official
Captured, again: Julian Zapata Espinoza, known as Tweety Bird, was arrested during a raid on gang safe houses in San Luis Potosi, Mexico
An alleged drug cartel member arrested over the killing of a U.S. immigration agent has said the attack was a case of mistaken identity.
Julian Zapata Espinoza - known as 'El Piolin', or Tweety Bird because of his height - was captured along with five other suspected Zeta members during an army raid on gang safehouses in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata was shot dead and fellow agent Victor Avila was wounded as they were attacked while driving on a highway near the city last week.
Mexican drug cartels frequently set up roadblocks and ambushes to steal large SUVs and pickups and the two agents were in a Chevrolet Suburban when they were attacked.
The two men, worked at the U.S. Embassy, were attacked as they returned to Mexico City from a meeting in the state. Mr Avila was shot twice in the leg and is recovering in hospital.
Army spokesman Colonel Ricardo Trevilla said: 'That event occurred because of the characteristics of the vehicle, given that they (the suspects) thought it was being used by members of a rival criminal group.'
U.S. officials have maintained the attack was an intentional ambush and claimed the gunmen made comments before they fired that indicated they knew who their targets were.
It would not be the first time that a politically sensitive killing in Mexico was identified as a case of mistaken identity.
Suspect: Espinoza is said to have told soldiers the attack which killed U.S. immigration official Jaime Zapata was a case of mistaken identity
Haven't we seen you before? Espinoza, second right, was arrested in 2009 , but escaped
In 1993, a gunmen linked to the Arellano Felix drug cartel killed Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo at an airport in Guadalajara.
Prosecutors later said the gunmen mistook the cardinal's luxury car for their intended target, drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.
Several other cartel killings of people not involved in the drug trade - including the shooting of American tourist David Hartley in September - have been blamed as cases of mistaken identity.
The U.S. government has become increasingly concerned about the safety of its employees in the country.
In March, an employee of the consulate in Ciudad Juarez, her husband and a Mexican tied to the consulate were killed when drug gang members fired on their cars after they left a children's party.
Victim: Jaime Zapata was killed and colleague Victor Avila injured after their SUV was attacked near San Luis Obispo. Right, relatives carry Mr Zapata's coffin before his funeral at Brownsville, Texas
Zapata Espinoza has been identified as the head of a Zeta cell since early December, according to military intelligence officials.
San Luis Potosi is at the centre of a power struggle between two rival drug gangs - the Zetas and the Gulf cartel.
The White House said that President Barack Obama had spoken with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and 'thanked him for Mexican efforts to bring to justice the murderers'.
A statement said: 'The president said neither the U.S. nor Mexico could tolerate violence against those who serve and protect our citizens, as Special Agent Zapata did so selflessly through his own life.'
The arrest comes as President Calderon announced a visit to Washington next week.
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