Four Americans were kidnapped in northeastern Mexico as they crossed the border to buy medication, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador revealed.
The US citizens were driving through Matamoros, in Tamaulipas state, in a white minivan on March 3 when a group of unidentified gunmen shot at them.
They were then placed in a vehicle and taken away, the US government said.
“There was a confrontation between groups, and they were kidnapped,” he said on Monday.
The incident also resulted in the death of an innocent Mexican citizen, US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement.
“We have no higher priority than the safety of our citizens. Officials from various US law enforcement agencies are working with Mexican authorities at all levels of government to achieve the safe return of our compatriots,” he was quoted as saying.
Mr López Obrador said during a news conference on Monday that he had been in contact with the governor of Matamoros over the weekend about the kidnappings.
“I think it will get resolved,” Mr López Obrador said. “That’s what I hope.”
Tamaulipas is one of six states in Mexico that the US State Department issued an advisory for travellers not to visit due to
crime and kidnapping.
The FBI is now seeking help from the public, with a reward of $50,000 being offered for information leading to the return of the victims and the arrests of those involved.
The Americans were driving in a van with North Carolina licence plates, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which did not identify the US citizens.
Matamoros is located directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas.
According to the State Department, organised crime “including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault – is common along the northern border,” including in the state of Tamaulipas.
Criminal groups have targeted buses as well as cars driving through the state, often taking passengers and asking for ransom payments in an area where local law enforcement has limited ability to respond to crime, the State Department said.
Source: BBC News
