Mexican police catch suspect in shooting of US official

MEXICO CITY — Prosecutors in Mexico said Sunday they caught a gunman who shot an official of the U.S. Consulate in the western city of Guadalajara.

The Attorney General’s Office of Jalisco state said in the agency’s Twitter account that the suspect had been turned over to federal prosecutors.

Attacks on diplomats are federal crimes in Mexico.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement thanking Mexico for the quick arrest.

“On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I want to thank the Government of Mexico for their swift and decisive arrest of a suspect in the heinous attack against our Foreign Service Officer colleague,” Kerry said. “My thoughts and prayers remain with this officer and his family during this difficult time. I wish him a speedy recovery.”

The U.S. Embassy has not identified the official, who was shot in his car Friday in Guadalajara. He was in stable condition Saturday after the attack.

The FBI had offered a $20,000 reward for information on the attacker, and surveillance cameras photos of him had been widely circulated.

Jalisco state is dominated by the Jalisco New Generation crime cartel. There was no immediate evidence of any cartel link to the attack.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City urged citizens to limit their movements in the Guadalajara area.

Surveillance video of the attack shows the gunman following the official in a parking garage. The official was dressed in shorts. The attacker doesn’t appear to try to approach the official while he is walking, but instead waits for him to exit the parking garage in his vehicle and fires into the car’s windshield.