Attackers Set Juarez Kindergarten On Fire

Two armed attackers burst into a kindergarten and set fire to the school building in the violence-plagued border city of Juarez, state media reported, according to a CNN.com report

Police say the suspects left a message saying the school had not paid a protection fee, which they had demanded from teachers two weeks ago to prevent attacks against the children, the state-run Notimex news agency said Monday.

Classes in the school have been suspended and parents have said they will pull their children out of school until safety improves, the news agency reported.

“We had already reported the extortion to the authorities. Nobody paid attention to us, and now we have to take our kids out of school,” mother Ana Martinez told Notimex, adding that her child would not return to school this academic year.

Last month, a series of graffiti messages on school walls in the city — Mexico’s most violent — threatened attacks if teachers did not hand over their Christmas bonuses.

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