Two of the four Americans kidnapped in Mexico on Friday have been killed, the other two have been found alive. One of them is injured, says the governor of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.
The four were violently kidnapped in the border town of Matamoros shortly after crossing the border from the United States. They got caught up in a shootout between rival cartels and were forcefully worked into the back of a pickup truck by heavily armed men. A Mexican woman was also killed in the incident.
The governor called President López Obrador during his daily press conference with the news of the two men’s deaths. The OM has confirmed the message, he said. Ambulances and security guards were on their way to provide assistance at the time. Where the Americans were found has not been disclosed.
Group of friends
The four had traveled to Mexico via Texas for medical care. According to the sister of one of the men, a friend of her brother was going to undergo a tummy tuck and the others had accompanied him and alternated driving. “It was a close group of friends,” she told the AP news agency.
“They were aware of the dangers in Mexico and my brother had reservations about the trip. He kept telling them not to go.”
They were driving a white minibus with American plates, from the state of North Carolina. A woman who witnessed the incident says the car was hit by another car and shooting started. Another SUV then appeared, from which armed men jumped.
Nobody did anything
“Suddenly they were in front of us. I went into shock, and no one honked or moved at all. They must have all thought: if we move, they will see us and they might shoot us.”
According to her, a woman was forced to climb into the back of the pickup. She also saw someone being pulled into it who could still move his head. “Two others were dragged across the sidewalk. We don’t know if they were alive or dead.”
The violence was so severe on Friday that the US consulate warned of the danger. The municipality of Matamaros called on people not to go to the streets.
Matamaros has been the scene of gang violence for years. Thousands of Mexicans have disappeared in the state of Tamaulipas alone. The US State Department warns people not to travel to the area, but many people still go there to visit family, for medical care or to shop.
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