El Chapo's son arrest: Shooting at Mexico airport forces passengers on flight to take cover

Image: Twitter

Passengers inside a commercial flight ducked for fear of a shooting at Culiacán airport following the arrest of Ovidio Guzman, son of jailed kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, on Thursday (January 5). Videos shot by passenger David Tellez show the passengers kneeling between the seats. Video also shows Mexican Air Force aircrafts taxiing on the airport's runway. On Twitter, Tellez said a flight attendant told passengers the plane had been shot at.

Mexican airline Aeromexico said the fuselage of a plane scheduled to fly from Culiacan to Mexico City was hit by gunfire Thursday morning. No passengers or crew members were harmed.

BREAKING: Passengers onboard an Aeromexico flight duck for cover after it was shot at in Culiacan, Mexico. At least one bullet hit the fuselage in the moments after El Chapo's son was captured. pic.twitter.com/HYPYDF58xX

— Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) January 5, 2023

Mexican drug cartel leader Ovidio Guzman was arrested, unleashing a violent backlash by gang gunmen on Thursday that shut the airport as authorities told residents to stay indoors.

A Mexican air force plane was also shot at, Mexico's federal aviation agency said, adding that the airport in Culiacan, as well as in the Sinaloa cities of Mazatlan and Los Mochis, would remain closed until security could be ensured.