Four U.S. citizens were shot at before being kidnapped by gunmen in northeastern Mexico, U.S. and Mexican authorities said on Monday.
The four Americans, whose identities remained unknown, drove through the town of Matamoros in Tamaulipas state on Friday in a white minivan with U.S. North Carolina state plates, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico.
Shortly after they crossed the border, unidentified gunmen opened fire on the vehicle’s passengers. The four Americans were then placed in another vehicle and abducted by the gunmen, the FBI said.
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for help in freeing the victims and arresting the suspects.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the victims had reportedly gone to Mexico to buy medicine and were caught up in a confrontation between criminal groups.
The U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, said in a statement that an “innocent Mexican citizen was tragically killed” in the incident.
U.S. law enforcement officials from various agencies are working with Mexican authorities at all levels of government to ensure the safe return of the Americans, he added.
The statement also said the U.S. Ambassador was “very concerned" about the safety of the Americans.
