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Four American citizens who crossed from Texas into Mexico were held at gunpoint and possibly kidnapped, FBI officials announced, adding that a Mexican national was killed in the same incident.
In a statement issued by FBI Special Agent Ken Salazar, “unknown assailants” in the northeastern Mexican city of Matamoros in Tamaulipas state “violently kidnapped at gunpoint four U.S. citizens in an incident in which an innocent Mexican citizen was tragically killed.” Matamoros is located near the U.S.-Mexico border near Brownsville, Texas.
“We have no greater priority than the safety of our citizens–this is the U.S. government’s most fundamental role,” Salazar said. “U.S. law enforcement officials from numerous agencies are working with Mexican authorities at all levels of government to secure the safe return of our compatriots.”
The FBI is now offering a $50,000 reward for the return of the unidentified kidnapped victims and for the arrest of those who were involved, according to a separate statement from the bureau’s San Antonio office.
The four Americans entered Matamoros in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates. The vehicle came under fire soon after it entered Mexico, the bureau said.
“All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men,” the FBI San Antonio office said. The FBI did not provide names, descriptions, or other details about the American citizens or the minivan; the license plate number was not provided.
