Four Americans kidnapped in Mexico may have been targeted unintentionally: report

The four Americans who were kidnapped shortly after entering Mexico were in the country for medical reasons and may have been victims of mistaken identity.

Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador said on Monday that the US citizen was crossing from Texas into Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, in an attempt to buy drugs when they opened fire and were eventually pulled from their minivan and attacked by armed assailants. Kidnapped. The Associated Press.

“There was a confrontation between the groups and they were abducted,” López Obrador said.

Video of the incident that circulated on social media on Monday appeared to show several armed men wearing bulletproof vests confronting the group, including a woman being carried to the bed of a white pickup truck and other victims being carried to a parking lot. being dragged and loaded. same truck. Fox News has yet to independently verify the authenticity of the video.

4 Americans traveling to Matamoros, Mexico missing in possible kidnapping: FBI

A member of the Mexican National Guard guards the entrance to a property called “La Bartolina” in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. (Alfredo Estrella / AFP via Getty Images)

According to a Monday report by the New York Post, a US official said the Americans were attacked by mistake and the attack was not intended.

US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said Monday that an innocent Mexican bystander was killed in the attack and that the US and Mexican governments are cooperating in an effort to secure the release of the four Americans.

“There is no higher priority than the safety of our citizens,” Salazar said. “Officials from various US law enforcement agencies are working with Mexican authorities at all levels of government to secure the safe return of our compatriots.”

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AP/File)

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During a news conference on Monday, López Obrador said he was in contact with the governor of Matamoros and expressed optimism that the four Americans would be returned safely.

“I think it will be resolved,” said López Obrador. “I hope so.”

The Americans were driving a white minivan with North Carolina plates when they crossed into Matamoros, which sits just across the border from Brownsville, Texas. Tamaulipas is one of six Mexican states that the US State Department has warned against travel due to the increased risk of “crime and kidnapping”.

A Border Patrol agent walks through the middle of the border wall between the US and Mexico on June 1, 2022 in Yuma, Arizona. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)

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The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward to the public for information leading to the return of abducted Americans. Anyone with information regarding the investigation is encouraged to call the FBI San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741.