On Monday, Mexican and US officials declared they were attempting to track down four US citizens who had been shot at by unidentified gunmen in the northern region of Mexico, followed by their kidnapping.
The four Americans had been traveling in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates when they entered Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on Friday, prompting the US Embassy in Mexico to ask for the public’s assistance in identifying the kidnappers.
The armed men had fired at the passengers soon after they crossed into Mexico, driving them into another car before escaping.
According to CNN, a US official knowledgeable of the probe revealed that the Americans might have been the wrong targets and were not the intended victims. The official added that the group had gone to Matamoros for medical treatments, supported by receipts in their vehicle.
The US State Department has cautioned Americans against traveling to Tamaulipas due to the risk of kidnapping, and Matamoros is just south of Brownsville, Texas.
As informed by Reuters, three men and one woman had been kidnapped in the incident, which also resulted in the death of one innocent Mexican.
US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar released a statement in this regard.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador reported on Monday at a normal press conference that the Public Security Ministry of Mexico was working with the FBI to find the missing US citizens. He expressed his hope that the issue would be solved.