Mexican authorities reported on Monday that four Americans who had entered Mexico last week to purchase medicine had been attacked and abducted by unidentified gunmen.
Four Americans Kidnapped
The four Americans were on their way to purchase medicine, according to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who also claimed that “there was a conflict between groups, and they were detained.” In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar claimed the Americans were taken hostage at gunpoint and a Mexican national who was “innocent” at the time of the attack perished. He claimed that several American justice organizations were collaborating with their Mexican peers to locate the missing people. The deceased’s identity has not been disclosed by the authorities.
Kidnapped Americans Were In Mexico
According to Special Agent Oliver Rich, who is head of the FBI’s San Antonio Division, the Americans came under fire from the men soon after crossing the border on Friday through Matamoros, in the Tamaulipas state, across from Brownsville, Texas. Driving a vehicle a white minivan with North Carolina registration plates, the victims entered Mexico, according to the FBI. The four Americans were put in another vehicle and driven away from the site by the men before the gunmen opened fire on the passengers in the car. Irving Barrios, the top prosecutor in Tamaulipas, confirmed that a Mexican woman perished in the assault but did not say whether or not she died in the same gunfight as the kidnapping.
Name Of The Kidnapped Americans
According to Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, President Joe Biden was informed of the circumstance. She cited privacy issues in her refusal to respond to further inquiries. The names of those who were allegedly kidnapped have not been made public by law enforcement, but Zalandria Brown of Florence, South Carolina, claimed to have spoken to the FBI and local authorities after discovering that her younger brother, Zindell Brown, was one of the four victims. Brown claimed that a third friend who was traveling to Mexico for a tummy tuck procedure had been accompanied by her brother, who resides in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and two other friends.
According to Brown, the four companions were very close and intended to share driving responsibilities for the journey. She continued that they were conscious of the risks in Mexico and that her sibling had expressed some reservations. The FBI is asking for help from the public in locating the individuals accountable for the attack and abduction, and it has provided a reward of $50,000 for information leading to the capture of those responsible and the release of the victims. Investigations are being conducted by the FBI, government partners, and Mexican law enforcement, according to officials. The FBI San Antonio Division is asking anyone with data regarding the case to call or submit an online report.
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