The FBI is currently investigating an incident in which four Americans were kidnapped after a shootout on March 3 in Mexico, possibly in a case of mistaken identity.
The incident happened in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, when armed men opened fire on a white minivan with North Carolina license plates, as it crossed over the Mexico border. Afterward, the men allegedly pulled four people out of the minivan and forced them into another vehicle.
The Americans are believed to have been victims of mistaken identity, CNN reports. Investigators said that the situation likely involves the cartel who mistook them for “Haitian drug smugglers.” Officials added that they have no information about any criminal activity involving the Americans.
Receipts found inside the minivan indicate that the Americans may have been traveling to Mexico for medical reasons.
“The information we have is that they crossed the border to buy medicines in Mexico, there was a confrontation between groups and they were detained,” Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said. “The whole government is working on it.”
So far, the embassy has not provided additional information about the victims but demanded for the armed men return them to safety. A $50,000 reward is currently being offered for the return of the victims and the gunmen’s arrest.
Meanwhile, officials continue to warn people that the area is a “Level 4 Do Not Travel.” The US State Department said that Tamaulipas, which is right across the Rio Grande at the Brownsville, Texas, border, has been riddled with kidnapping and other crimes.
“Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments,” the State Department advisory said.
The FBI urges anyone with information to call FBI San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741. Tips online should be sent to https://tips.fbi.gov. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
Check back for updates.
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[Featured image: SS/FBI]
