MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas – The U.S. Department of State is warning travelers about visiting this border city after gunmen threw a grenade at a municipal building. The advisory follows shortly after gunmen shot up a nearby military building.

The security warning advises U.S. Consulate employees against attending public gatherings in the area, shortly before the city is to host sister events with Brownsville, Texas, as part of the Charro Days celebration.

#Matamoros, #Mexico: At approximately 1:30 AM on February 23, an unexploded hand grenade was found in the vicinity of Matamoros City Hall, one mile south of the U.S. Consulate. U.S. government personnel are advised against attending public events and gatherings. pic.twitter.com/AQClE0ykep — Travel – State Dept (@TravelGov) February 23, 2020

The grenade attack took place Sunday at approximately at 1:30 A.M. at Matamoros City Hall. The grenade did not explode; however, it did cause a large deployment of military and police forces to cordon off the area for secure removal.

The incident follows days after a group of Gulf Cartel gunmen carried out a drive-by attack against the Mexican Navy offices in Matamoros, blocks from one of the international bridges that connects to Brownsville. That attack took place Thursday afternoon when gunmen in a white sedan fired an AR-15 numerous times at the front of the building before speeding away. One Mexican Marine was struck in his back.

Matamoros is seeing a rise in shootings, kidnappings, and other cases of violence–sparking concern among locals.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “J.A. Espinoza” from Tamaulipas.