Four Americans who went to Mexico for cosmetic surgery on Friday were kidnapped by gunmen in the border town of Matamoros. A search was completed on Tuesday. However, only two members of the group, a man and a woman, were rescued alive. Two of her friends were already dead.
The U.S. State Department confirmed the deaths of the two U.S. nationals and said the other two have since been returned to the United States. Work is still underway to repatriate the remains of the two dead, ministry spokesman Ned Price said. The investigation into the case is still in its infancy. According to Kirby, the US government is committed to ensuring that those responsible are held accountable.
The communications director of the US government’s National Security Council, John Kirby, spoke of a “terrible incident”. Attacks on US citizens are unacceptable. The reasons for the kidnapping are still unclear. A criminal group may have mistaken the victims for Haitian drug runners, Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios said. The investigations continued.
Mexican passerby killed in kidnapping
Matamoros is located in the violent state of Tamaulipas, directly across from the Texas city of Brownsville, on the border of the Rio Grande River. Especially the Cártel del Golfo (golf cartel) is active there. According to authorities, a Mexican woman also died as a victim of the incident. A video of the kidnapping circulated on social media.
Mexico has been battling a wave of violence for years. Last year, 31,936 murders were registered in the Latin American country with a population of 126 million. Numerous drug cartels and other criminal groups vie for control of areas of influence and smuggling routes. They often have ties to corrupt politicians and security forces. Most murders are never solved.
Source: Krone
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