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Kidnapped Americans found: 2 dead and 2 alive in Mexico

March 7, 2023

Two of the four US citizens kidnapped in northeastern Mexico have been found dead. One is unharmed, and the other is wounded, according to Mexican authorities.

https://p.dw.com/p/4OMht
The minivan that the Americans were travelling in with bullet holes in the side
Bullet holes on the car the 4 Americans were travelling in at the crime scene where they were kidnappedImage: ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance

Two Americans were killed in Matamoros, Tamaulipas state, Mexico after the vehicle they were travelling in was caught in rival cartels crossfire according to Mexican authorities.

Two others were found alive. One of them was wounded.

What happened?

The four US citizens arrived in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates and crossed into Mexico. The US citizens were accompanying their friend for a medical procedure.

"Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen fired upon the passengers in the minivan," according to the FBI. "All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men."

The men reportedly work for the powerful Gulf drug cartel, which dominates the city of Matamoros. It is common for different factions of the gang to fight among themselves.

The Americans were caught amid gunfire from fighting cartel groups. A video circulating online showed them being loaded into the back of a pickup truck by gunmen.

Soldiers stand on a jeep, in the road and in front of a wall at Matamoros, Mexico
Mexican soldiers prepare a search mission for four US citizens kidnapped by gunmenImage: ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance

How were they found?

Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villareal did not provide any details of how or where the people were found.

He did not provide any particulars about the wounded person's injuries, only revealing that "right now, ambulances and the rest of the security personnel are going to give corresponding support."

The Americans were found in a rural area east of Matamoros called Ejido Longoreno, a state authority told The Associated Press.

Patrol vehicles on the central square in Apaseo el Alto, Guanajuato state, Mexico
President Lopez Obrador says he regrets that such things happen in MexicoImage: Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo/picture alliance

The FBI had earlier reported that it was conducting search efforts in collaboration with Mexican authorities for the missing Americans.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has confirmed that one suspect is in custody.

Lopez Obrador said the US government had "the right to protest like they have: We really regret that this happens in our country."

What has the US said?

The White House has denounced the kidnapping as "unacceptable" and said Washington would pursue justice for the victims.

"We're going to work closely with the Mexican government to ensure that justice is done in this case," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

"Right now our focus is very squarely on these four Americans and the families that have been affected by the attack," he said

He added that "we don´t have these four Americans back on home soil and really that's what our focus is right now."

The US attorney general said he was briefed by the FBI on the kidnapping.

The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for the arrest of the abductors.

Mexico is plagued by cartel-related violence that has seen more than 340,000 lives claimed since the government deployed the military in the war on drugs in 2006.

dmn/ar (AFP, AP)