4 Americans had been assaulted and kidnapped by unidentified gunmen after crossing into Mexico final week to purchase medication, Mexican officers mentioned Monday.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador mentioned Monday the 4 Individuals had been going to purchase medication and that “there was a confrontation between teams, they usually had been detained.”
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar mentioned in an announcement the Individuals had been kidnapped at gunpoint and an “harmless” Mexican citizen died within the assault. He mentioned numerous U.S. justice companies had been working with their Mexican counterparts to get better the lacking individuals.
Authorities have supplied no different particulars concerning the victims.
The Individuals got here below gunfire from the lads shortly after crossing the border on Friday by town of Matamoros, within the Tamaulipas state, throughout from Brownsville, Texas, Particular Agent Oliver Wealthy, who’s in control of the FBI’s San Antonio Division, introduced Sunday.
The victims crossed into Mexico driving a white minivan with North Carolina license plates, the FBI mentioned. Shortly after, the gunmen fired upon the passengers within the automobile, and the 4 Individuals had been positioned in one other automobile and brought from the scene by the males.
Tamaulipas’ chief prosecutor, Irving Barrios, mentioned a Mexican girl died within the assault however didn’t specify whether or not she was killed in the identical gunfight the place the kidnapping befell.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador mentioned Monday the 4 Individuals had been going to purchase medication and that “there was a confrontation between teams, they usually had been detained.”
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar mentioned in an announcement Monday the Individuals had been kidnapped at gunpoint and an “harmless” Mexican citizen died within the assault. He mentioned numerous U.S. justice companies had been working with their Mexican counterparts to get better the lacking individuals.
President Joe Biden had been knowledgeable of the scenario, White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned Monday. She declined to reply different questions, citing privateness considerations.
Legislation enforcement has not launched the names of those that they mentioned had been kidnapped however Zalandria Brown of Florence, South Carolina, mentioned she has been involved with the FBI and native officers after studying that her youthful brother, Zindell Brown, is among the 4 victims.
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‘This is sort of a unhealthy dream’
Brown mentioned her brother, who lives in Myrtle Seaside, South Carolina, and two buddies had accompanied a 3rd pal who was going to Mexico for a tummy tuck surgical procedure.
The 4 buddies, based on Brown, had been extraordinarily shut and had deliberate to separate up driving duties for the journey. They had been conscious of the risks in Mexico, she added, and her brother had expressed some misgivings.
“Zindell saved saying, ‘We shouldn’t go down,'” Brown mentioned. “This is sort of a unhealthy dream you would like you can get up from. To see a member of your loved ones thrown at the back of a truck and dragged, it’s simply unbelievable.”
Zindell Brown’s household requested folks to share any related data with native authorities.
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Elevated cartel violence within the area
Cartel violence has elevated over the previous 10 to fifteen years in Tamaulipas, and violence inside the state has left hundreds of victims uncounted as a result of the cartels have a historical past of taking our bodies of their very own with them.
The Gulf Cartel is at the moment based mostly in Matamoros which straight borders Brownsville, the place U.S. residents regularly cross to journey deeper into Mexico, go to household, attend medical appointments, or store.
Though Matamoros was as soon as a well-liked trip spot and a comparatively calm space, the State Division has warned U.S. residents to not journey to town as a result of ongoing violence.
In 2014, three American siblings disappeared close to Matamoros whereas visiting their father and had been later discovered shot to demise and burned. Their mother and father mentioned they’d been kidnapped by males wearing police gear figuring out themselves as “Hercules,” a tactical safety unit within the metropolis.
$50,000 reward provided in case
The FBI is searching for the general public’s help in figuring out these accountable for the assault and kidnapping and is providing a reward of $50,000 for the return of the victims and the arrest of these concerned.
The FBI, federal companions, and Mexican regulation enforcement companies are investigating, officers mentioned.
The U.S. State Division has issued a “Stage 4: Do Not Journey” advisory for U.S. residents in Tamaulipas, citing crime and kidnapping there.
Anybody with details about the case is requested to name FBI San Antonio Division or submit a tip on-line.
Contributing: The Related Press
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending information for USA TODAY. Attain her at nalund@usatoday.com and comply with her on Twitter @nataliealund.
