The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for the return of four Americans who were shot at and kidnapped in Mexico, according to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.
The four U.S. citizens crossed into the northern Mexico border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates.
The FBI San Antonio Division said the van came under fire shortly after it entered Mexico.
"All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men," the office said, according to CBS News.
The FBI is urging anyone with information regarding the investigation to contact the FBI San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741. Tips can also be submitted online anonymously. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for the return of the victims and the arrests of the culprits.
On Friday, the U.S. consulate in Matamoros issued an alert over media reports of a person fatally shot in what appears to be the same incident. U.S. government employees were advised to avoid the area until further notice. The alert also reminded American citizens that Tamaulipas is classified as "Level 4: Do Not Travel" in the State Department's travel advisory system – the highest level.
According to CBS, the consulate has issued at least four security alerts since February 2020, warning of crime, kidnappings, drug cartel violence, and skirmishes involving armed criminal organizations. Matamoros is home to rival factions of the Gulf drug cartel.