According to the FBI, four US citizens were beaten and kidnapped in Mexico on Friday.
The four Americans drove crossed the U.S. border and into the city of Matamoros, which borders the southernmost section of Texas. They were shot upon by unidentified gunmen and “put in a vehicle and removed from the site by armed persons,” according to the FBI in San Antonio.
According to the FBI, the gang was driving a white minivan with North Carolina registration plates. The victims’ names have not been disclosed.
The FBI and Mexican law enforcement are looking into the matter. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of the abducted Americans.
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Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador stated that the “entire government is working on” resolving the crisis.
“The information we have is that they crossed the border to obtain medications in Mexico, there was a confrontation between groups, and they were detained,” Obrador added.
Receipts discovered in the 4 victims’ car corroborate the notion that they were in the foreign country to acquire medicine.
According to US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, an innocent Mexican citizen also died as a result of the event.
For years, Matamoros has been riddled with gang violence, mainly between warring sub-groups of the Gulf Cartel. On Friday, there were three shootings in the city, and the US Embassy advised federal personnel to avoid the area.
Due to “crime and kidnapping,” the State Department advises US residents not to visit the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, where the city is located.
