Four US Citizens Missing After Suspected Kidnapping In Matamoros, Mexico
The FBI says four missing American citizens were shot at and kidnapped by unidentified gunmen after crossing the border into northeastern Mexico on Friday. A $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to their return and the arrest of their captors.
The FBI in San Antonio said not long after the US citizens drove into the border city of Matamoros, Mexico, on Friday, they were fired upon by a group of armed men.
The identities of those missing was not released at the time of the statement.
The FBI said: "All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men."
The missing Americans were driving a white minivan with North Carolina license plates.
The FBI is seeking help from the public in locating the missing four. The agency has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the return of the victims and the arrest of those responsible.
Matamoros is located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas which is notorious for heavy fighting between warring factions of the Gulf drug cartel and has seen a dramatic increase in violence recently.
On Friday, the day the Americans were taken, violence was so severe in the region that the US Consulate issued an alert.
A "Level 4: Do Not Travel" advisory is in place in the region for US citizens, citing crime and kidnapping as a major risk.
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