Four Americans were forcibly abducted at gunpoint in Matamoros, Mexico, on Friday, according to a statement released on Monday by Ken Salazar, the American ambassador to Mexico.
“The protection of our citizens is our first priority; it is the US government’s most important duty,” according to Salarzar’s statement.
The statement added, “US law enforcement personnel from many agencies are collaborating with Mexican authorities at all levels of government to ensure the safe repatriation of our citizens.”
The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico released a statement claiming that the Americans entered Matamoros in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates.
Just across the Mexican border from Brownsville, Texas, Matamoros is situated about 2.7 miles away.
An unidentified shooter opened fire on the van’s occupants soon after entering Mexico. The statement added that armed men took all four Americans in a car and drove them away from the scene.
For the safe return of the victims and the capture of those responsible, the FBI is offering a $50,000 reward. The FBI is asking for help from the public in locating those who carried out the assault and kidnapping. The organization urges anyone with knowledge about the inquiry to contact the San Antonio Division of the FBI at 210-225-6741. Online tip submissions can be made anonymously at https://tips.fbi.gov.
According to CNN’s Monday story, the assault and kidnapping may have been the result of a case of mistaken identity, according to an unnamed U.S. official familiar with the inquiry.
The Americans were “targeted by accident and weren’t the intended victims,” according to the source quoted by CNN. According to the same officer, the group came to the border city for medical operations, as evidenced by receipts discovered in the car.
According to Andrés Manuel López Obrador, president of Mexico, the victims “found themselves trapped in the gunfire between two armed groups” while crossing the border to purchase medicine.
Following allegations that one person had been killed, the U.S. Consulate in the cartel-racked city issued a warning on Friday telling U.S. government personnel to avoid a particular area in Matamoros.
The warning also warned Americans that Tamaulipas, the state where Matamoros is located, has a travel warning rating of “Level 4: Do Not Travel” from the State Department. Due to violence and kidnapping, Tamaulipas state has a “Do Not Travel” advisory.
On Twitter, CBS posted a video that seems to capture some of the upsetting incident. In the video, a woman is pulled toward a white pickup truck and then pushed into the bed of the vehicle. In a later scene of the film, armed men are seen dragging and tossing a different individual into the pickup’s bed close to the woman.
The media warns viewers that the following horrific footage, which purports to depict the moment attackers captured the victims, is for mature audiences only.
Just the usual dragging of bodies after a cartel shootout in broad daylight, today in Matamoros.#Mexico #Narcostate #FailedState pic.twitter.com/bfWwNgjBcB
— David Wolf (@DavidWolf777) March 4, 2023
Mexico is a hell hole. Everyone knows its. Why would anyone go there. Mexico has let the cartels rule that country for years. They do nothing to stop the freeloader illegals coming into America. Why are Americans so stupid to go there? Our military can’t even protect America’s borders now the military is going after the cartels why? The cartels are in America how about getting them out of America. Biden still getting is cut of money for having open borders. Military doesn’t even protect the American people from democrat’s nazi regime.