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- Uruguay cautioned citizens against traveling to the US, The Washington Post reported, citing hate crimes and "the indiscriminate possession of firearms by the population."
- While Uruguay’s foreign ministry, which issued the warning, didn’t specifically talk about the shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, over the weekend, the El Paso suspect is believed to have discussed his racist anti-Hispanic stance in an 8chan post.
- The warning comes after the State Department urged increased caution for US citizens traveling to Uruguay.
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Uruguay’s foreign ministry warned citizens traveling to the US to "take precautions against growing indiscriminate violence, mostly for hate crimes, including racism, and discrimination," The Washington Post reported.
While the announcement didn’t specifically mention the mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, it came just days after those incidents claimed the lives of 31 people and injured dozens more. The suspect in the El Paso shooting is believed to have posted a hate-filled manifesto to the website 8chan, complaining of "the Hispanic invasion of Texas" and echoing US President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.
The shooter traveled to El Paso, more than nine hours from his last known address in Allen, Texas, and opened fire in a Walmart where families from both sides of the southern border were back-to-school shopping. The mass shooting in El Paso killed 22, including 8 Mexicans.
Read more: The El Paso Walmart mass shooting claimed 22 victims. Here are their stories.
"Given the impossibility of the authorities to prevent these situations, due among other factors, to the indiscriminate possession of firearms by the population," Uruguay’s foreign ministry wrote, "it is especially advisable to avoid places where large concentrations of people occur, such as theme parks, shopping centers, arts festivals, religious activities, food fairs, and cultural or sporting events."
"In particular, it is recommended not to take minors to these places."
The US State Department on Friday cautioned US citizens traveling to Uruguay, advising travelers to exercise increased caution when traveling to the South American nation due to "crime."
Uruguay specifically called out the US cities of Albuquerque, Baltimore, and Detroit, saying that they were among the most dangerous cities in the country and advised travelers to avoid them.
The United States has seen 255 mass shootings so far in 2019, and more US citizens have been killed by domestic terrorists than in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center since September 11, 2001.
See Also:
- The 20 highest-paying jobs for women
- Soldier who saved several children in El Paso breaks down in tears saying the shooting was ‘the worst thing I’ve ever been through’
- Switzerland has a stunningly high rate of gun ownership — here’s why it doesn’t have mass shootings
Source: Business Insider – eioanes@businessinsider.com (Ellen Ioanes)