Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

4 US citizens were kidnapped by gunmen in Mexico in case of mistaken identity, US official says

4 US citizens were kidnapped by gunmen in Mexico in case of mistaken identity, US official says

Four US citizens were assaulted and kidnapped by gunmen in northeastern Mexico on Friday in a case of mistaken identity, a US official with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.

The Americans are believed to have been targeted by mistake and were not the intended victims, the official said. Investigators believe a Mexican cartel likely mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers, the official said, adding investigators have not identified any concerning criminal history on the part of the Americans.

The Americans had traveled to the border city of Matamoros for medical procedures, the official said, citing receipts found in the vehicle.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador offered a similar explanation.

“The information we have is that they crossed the border to buy medicines in Mexico, there was a confrontation between groups and they were detained,” the president said. “The whole government is working on it.”

The incident highlights the ongoing violence in some Mexican cities, which have been wracked by organized crime at least since the Mexican Drug War began in 2006, as well as the growing business of what’s known as “medical tourism.”

The missing Americans, who were not identified, drove into Matamoros on Friday in a white minivan with North Carolina plates, the FBI in San Antonio said. There, they were fired upon by unidentified gunmen and were “placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men,” the FBI said.

An innocent Mexican citizen was killed in the incident, US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said.

“We have no higher priority than the safety of our citizens,” Salazar said. “This is the most fundamental role of the US government. Officials from various US law enforcement agencies are working with Mexican authorities at all levels of government to achieve the safe return of our compatriots.”

The FBI is seeking the public’s help finding them and identifying those responsible. The agency announced a reward of $50,000 for their return and the arrest of those involved. The FBI said it is cooperating with other federal partners and Mexican law enforcement agencies to investigate the kidnapping.

CNN has reached out to the FBI, the government of Tamaulipas, the Tamaulipas Secretary of Public Security’s office and the Mexican Attorney General’s Office for more information.


Photos show car crashed prior to incident
Two vehicles rest in Matamoros, Mexico, at the scene which a US official said is connected to the missing Americans.


Photos obtained by CNN show the car believed to have been driven by the Americans crashed with another vehicle before they were taken at gunpoint from the scene.

The FBI would not confirm the authenticity of the images, but CNN has confirmed the authenticity of the photos and video with a US official with knowledge of the investigation. CNN has also geolocated the images.

The photos show a woman looking and then sitting next to three unmoving people lying on the ground outside a white minivan. All the doors of the van were open. It is unclear whether the four people in the photos were the US citizens.

The woman then appears to have been loaded onto the bed of a white pickup truck, the photos show. Several unmoving people could be seen lying on the street next to the pickup truck, the photos show.

One photo shows that an ambulance arrived, but it’s unclear if medical attention was being provided.

Matamoros, a city of more than 500,000 people in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, is located just across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas. The US State Department has issued a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory for US citizens thinking of going to Tamaulipas, citing crime and kidnapping.

“Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments,” the State Department advisory says.

On the same day as the alleged kidnappings, for example, police issued a warning to parents to keep their kids home from school due to two shootings in the city.

Matamoros was also the site of a large tent encampment of migrants – mostly Venezuelans and Haitians – hoping to cross into the US to request asylum.

In addition, Mexico is a popular destination for “medical tourism,” the term for traveling to another country for medical care, generally for lower costs or for an unapproved procedure.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×