Four U.S. citizens were reportedly kidnapped after a gunman opened fire on their vehicle in the northern Mexico border city of Matamoros, the FBI says.
The four individuals reportedly crossed the border from Brownsville, Texas, in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates.
According to the FBI, the vehicle underwent gunfire shortly after it entered Mexico.
“All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men,” the FBI said.
This video footage is believed to be the moment the individuals were kidnapped:
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
CBS News reported:
The U.S. consulate in Matamoros issued an alert on Friday about media reports of an individual shot during what appears to be the same incident — warning government employees to steer clear. The alert also reminded U.S. citizens that this particular part of Mexico is a “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” which is the highest-level warning in the U.S. State Department’s travel advisory system.
Tamaulipas state police said people had been killed and injured Friday, but didn’t say how many.
The consulate in Matamoros — a city home to warring factions of the Gulf drug cartel — has posted at least four security alerts since Feb. 2020, warning of drug cartel violence, crime, kidnappings and clashes involving criminal armed groups.
The FBI, seeking the public’s help, is offering a $50,000 reward for the return of the victims and the arrest of the culprits.
Four U.S. citizens are missing after being kidnapped from their vehicle by unidentified armed men in Mexico, the FBI said in a statement.https://t.co/Re29029tFj
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 6, 2023
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