By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF

An explosive device set to go off in the midafternoon was discovered by police in the Mexico City suburb of Tlalnepantla’s Mundo E shopping center on Friday, Feb. 15.

The device, which was found inside a men’s bathroom on the third floor of the mall, was apparently homemade by nonprofessionals using a mechanical clock and battery, along with explosive materials.

The device was discovered by Mundo E security personnel at roughly 1:30 p.m.

It was set to go off at 3:02 p.m.

The State of Mexico’s (Edoméx) Special Security Forces (SSEM) bomb squad was immediately called in to deactivate and remove the bomb from the premises, and the shopping center was evacuated.

Inside the device were nails and coins, which, if it had exploded, would have created shrapnel, increasing its potential for bodily harm.

The bomb was hidden inside a Cuban Cohiba cigar box, and is believed to have had a range of 100 meters.

Three days earlier, on Tuesday, Feb. 12, a similar explosive device went off inside the San Cristóbal Cathedral in Ecatepec, Edoméx.

Police so far have no information as to who might have left the bomb and what were the motives for it being planted at the mall.