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Four American citizens were assaulted and kidnapped by armed men in northeastern Mexico shortly after crossing the border, the FBI announced in a statement Sunday.
The incident occurred in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on March 3 and the FBI said it is seeking help from the public to identify those responsible.
Law enforcement has not released the names of those who were kidnapped. The four Americans were driving a white minivan with North Carolina license plates, according to the FBI statement.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday that the four Americans intended to buy medicine.
The U.S. citizens were fired on by unidentified gunmen after crossing the border, the FBI statement added. “All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men.”
A Twitter post on Friday appears to show the kidnap, CBS reported on Monday.
Matamoros is located along the U.S.-Mexico border, just across from Brownsville, TX. The U.S. State Department has a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” warning for the region because of high crime there.
“Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments,” according to State Department guidance.
The Gulf Cartel, a powerful smuggling operation that has splintered into competing gangs, is based in the Mexican city, CNN reported.
The incident is being investigated by the FBI, federal partners, and Mexican law enforcement agencies, officials said. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for the four’s return and the arrest of those involved.
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said Monday that the kidnapping resulted in the killing of an “innocent Mexican citizen.”
On March 3, the same day as the kidnapping, the U.S. Consulate in Matamoros wrote in a statement that it had “received reports of police activity occurring in the vicinity of Calle Primera and Lauro Villar in connection to a shooting.”
It added that one person had died, per media reports.
White House Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that President Joe Biden had been informed about the situation.
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