First Suspect Detained in Ojocaliente Car Bomb, Caught With Grenade and Homemade Explosive in Cuauhtémoc, Zacatecas

On September 1, 2026, Zacatecas security forces detained the first suspect linked to the August 30 Ojocaliente car bomb attack: Juan Pedro 'N,' 29, from Aguascalientes, captured during an operation in Cuauhtémoc municipality, Zacatecas. Officers spotted him driving a Nissan; he threw spike strips (ponchallantas) onto the road, abandoned the vehicle, and tried to flee into farmland before being caught. Seized from him: a homemade 'niple'-type explosive device, a fragmentation grenade, 22 spike-strip devices, five loaded magazines, and quantities of substances consistent with marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Zacatecas Security Secretary Arturo Medina Mayoral said 'hay información suficiente para decir que formó parte del equipo que llevó a cabo el atentado' (there is sufficient information to say he was part of the team that carried out the attack), though judicial determination of his role remained pending. The Nissan he was driving was separate from the Seat used in the August 30 bombing itself, which had been reported stolen in Jalisco in April 2026. Authorities said operations continued to locate additional suspects.