Four Americans shot, kidnapped in northeastern Mexico: FBI

WASHINGTON: Four American citizens were shot at by gunmen and kidnapped after driving across the US border into northeastern Mexico, the FBI said on Sunday.

The Americans crossed into Matamoros, Tamaulipas state on Friday, driving a white minivan with North Carolina license plates, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement released by the US Embassy in Mexico.

“Shortly after crossing to Mexico, unidentified gunmen shot at the passengers in the (minivan). All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and removed from the scene by gunmen,” the FBI said.

Matamoros, which is across the US border from Brownsville, Texas, has been riddled with violence related to drug trafficking and other organized crime.

The Tamaulipas highways are considered one of the most dangerous in Mexico due to the risk of kidnapping and extortion by criminal gangs.

The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for helping rescue the unidentified victims and arresting the suspects.

US and Mexican authorities are investigating, the FBI said. -AFP