On Friday, four American citizens were kidnapped in northeastern Mexico due to a case of mistaken identity. The official indicated that it is thought that the Americans were targeted by mistake and not on purpose.
The individual added that authorities believe a Mexican gang mistook the Americans for Haitian drug smugglers, adding that the Americans have no criminal history.
Mexico Kidnapping
According to the official who referenced the invoices, the receipts found in the vehicle suggest that the Americans arrived at the border city of Matamoros for medical procedures. Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador presented a similar explanation.
Friday, unnamed Americans traveled to Matamoros in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates, according to the FBI in San Antonio. According to the FBI, there, unknown assailants shot them before placing them in a vehicle and departing the scene.
The US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, revealed that one innocent Mexican national was killed during the conflict.
The FBI needs assistance from the general public in locating and identifying the culprits. The agency has announced a $50,000 reward for their recovery and the capture of their captors.
The FBI claimed that it and other federal partners and Mexican law enforcement agencies were investigating the kidnapping. Officials in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas reported mobilizing federal and municipal resources to seek the missing individuals.
During a news conference, Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios Mojica stated that communication between state and federal authorities was promptly established in reaction to the criminal occurrence involving two vehicles, one of which held North Carolina license plates.
Investigators examine the vehicles, acquire ballistic and fingerprint data, obtain biological samples for genetic profiles, and collect surveillance camera footage.
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Missing Americans Identified By Family Members
The car believed to have been driven by the Americans collided with another car prior to their detention at gunpoint.
The images depict a woman viewing three lifeless individuals lying on the ground in front of a white minivan, and then sitting beside them. All of the van’s doors were wide open. It is questionable whether the four pictured persons are citizens of the United States.
The woman is then shown on camera being loaded into the bed of a white pickup vehicle. Many motionless individuals are depicted in the images lying on the street beside the pickup truck.
A photograph captures the arrival of an ambulance, however, it is unclear whether medical attention is being administered.
Matamoros, a city of over 500,000 people, is located directly over the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas. The US Department of State declared.
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