Four Americans were kidnapped and attacked by an armed commando during a violent day in Matamoros on March 3, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking for them after they crossed the border atop a vehicle.
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| The FBI offered $50,000 reward to locate four kidnapped Americans in Tamaulipas |
According to the state's Secretary of Public Security, the city of Matamoros, in Tamaulipas, was the scene of various danger scenarios on March 3, 2023, including at least two armed confrontations (SSP).
An armed commando assaulted and abducted four persons from the United States (USA) on that day, and their whereabouts are unknown to this day.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed the facts through Oliver Rich, special agent in charge of the agency's San Antonio Division.
According to the information provided by US officials, four American individuals entered Matamoros on the aforementioned day onboard a white minivan with North Carolina license plates.
Soon after entering Mexican territory, a gang of armed individuals (the number and identities of whom have not been revealed) opened fire on the van's passengers. They then forced them to exit the truck and place them in another unit, from which they escaped.
The death of a Mexican citizen was reported during the ambush. According to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the four American males attempted to cross the border into Mexico to purchase drugs (the nature of which was not stated), but were stopped by armed personnel.
“There was a confrontation between groups and they were arrested. The entire government is working," said the federal president in his morning conference on March 6. He added that the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Rosa Icela RodrÃguez , has communicated with the governor of Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal , to clarify the facts.
Ken Salazar, the US ambassador to Mexico, stated that multiple American law enforcement agencies are collaborating with Mexican authorities to find individuals of the neighboring nation. Similarly, the FBI made a statement asking for the public's assistance in identifying individuals responsible for these activities.
As a result, the FBI issued a $50,000 reward for information leading to the return of the victims to their homes or assisting in the detention of the suspected perpetrators.
For this purpose, the corporation's San Antonio Division made its phone line (210-225-6741) open to anybody with information on this matter. It is also possible to provide information online at https://tips.fbi.gov. People that provide information may choose to remain anonymous.
There are no official reports that enable explaining the balance and damages resulting from the events that happened on March 3 in Matamoros at the time of this publishing.
The SSP's statement was confined to reporting "two armed encounters involving unidentified people" and regretting the loss of human life as well as the injuries inflicted by the events, albeit the number of casualties was not specified.
"The general populace is advised to stay at home so as not to expose their integrity, and parents and teachers are asked to avoid bringing their children to school if possible," the agency said in a brief advisory sent over social media.
Following the alleged fights in the border city, local locals uploaded photographs and videos on social media, including one that showed a group of at least four armed persons dragging the bodies of two victims along the street and in broad daylight to put them into a white pick-up truck.
Said vehicle was parked in the middle of the road, so while the alleged hitmen maneuvered to take the bodies with them—it is unknown if the victims were alive at the time this occurred—other cars were driving around them.
The US Consulate, for its part, issued an advisory advising residents not to travel to Tamaulipas since the entity is classified at level 4, which means the border state cannot be visited as long as there is a notification from the Department of State.
"The Consulate of the United States in Matamoros has received information of police action occurring in the neighborhood of Calle Primavera and Lauro Villa in regard to a gunshot . "According to media reports, one person has been killed," the statement said.