'Mariachi musician gunmen' kill four in Mexico City shooting

Nine more injured after incident in popular central square

Neither the motive for the attack nor the identities of the gunmen are known (Getty)

Four people have been killed and nine injured after a shooting in a square in central Mexico City popular with tourists.

Mexicans heading into Independence Day celebrations were shocked by the shooting at the capital's iconic Garibaldi Plaza where mariachi musicians serenade holidaymakers.

The Mexico City prosecutors' office said at least one foreigner was among those wounded in Friday night's attack, which local media said was staged by gunmen dressed as mariachi musicians.

Mexican news outlet La Silla Rota circulated surveillance video of the alleged assailants wearing traditional embroidered jackets and trousers as they fled on motorcycles.

Many Mexicans wear mariachi costumes on Saturday evening to commemorate the launch of the revolt against Spanish rule on September 16, 1810.

Lisa Sanchez, director of Mexicans United Against Delinquency, described the shooting as a "piercing portrait" of Mexico.

She said the fact that the shooting happened in a crowded public square demonstrates that impunity prevails in the country.

On Saturday night, President Enrique Pena Nieto is set to shout "Viva Mexico" – or "Long Live Mexico" – shortly before midnight from a balcony of the National Palace.

Thousands crowd into Mexico City's central Zocalo square every year to hear the shout, and the celebration usually spills into Garibaldi Plaza.

Videos circulating on social media showed musicians in the plaza playing their music around the time of the shooting.


 Mariachi musicians talk at the tourist Plaza Garibaldi hours after unknown assailants attacked people with rifles and pistols 
 (Reuters)

In one video, a man plucking a large harp continues to belt out the Mexican civil war anthem "La Cucaracha" as dozens of gunshots can be heard in the background, though it is not clear the musicians heard them.

In another, brass instruments and melancholic voices fill the air as the flashing lights of police vehicles descend on the plaza.

AP