By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF

A cloth banner painted with threats to the life of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) was found just outside the Salamanca refinery in the central state of Guanajuato, presidential spokesperson Jesús Ramírez Cuevas said on Thursday, Jan. 31.

The banner, which was found by local police, was allegedly signed by the assumed head of a local huachicol (gasoline theft) cartel.

Nearby, a car with a fake bomb was also found.

Ramírez Cuevas said that the threat was being taken seriously and investigated by federal authorities.

Shortly after taking office on Dec. 1, AMLO initiated a nationwide program against gasoline theft, which he claims has led to losses of $3 billion a year for the state-run Petróleos Mexicacanos (Pemex) oil giant.