Search On For Americans Kidnapped By Gunmen In Mexico Border Town, FBI Offers $50,000 Reward

As per a Mexican official, among the four Americans kidnapped were three men and a woman who had crossed the border to buy medication.

Four Americans were shot at and kidnapped in Mexico border town. (Representational Image)

Source : Getty Images

Four Americans were shot at by gunmen in northern Mexico and then kidnapped shortly after crossing the border, reported news agency Reuters adding the authorities of both the countries were working to locate them. 

As per the report, the four unidentified Americans were in a white minivan with North Carolina licence plates when they entered Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on Friday, said the US Embassy in Mexico seeking public’s help in identifying the kidnappers. 

The armed men fired on the passengers shortly after their vehicle crossed into Mexico and then herded them into another vehicle before fleeing the scene, the embassy said. 

The U.S. State Department has advised Americans not to travel to Tamaulipas, in part due to the threat of kidnapping. The city of Matamoros is over the border from Brownsville, Texas. 

A Mexican official told the news agency that among four kidnapped were three men and one woman. 

An innocent Mexican died in the incident, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement while Mexico’s President said that the Americans had crossed into Mexico to buy medication. 

"I believe it will be resolved, I hope so," President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a regular news conference on Monday, adding that Mexico's public security ministry was working with the FBI to locate the missing U.S. citizens.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre, speaking during a regular press briefing in Washington said U.S. law enforcement was in touch with Mexican authorities, as were the departments of State and Homeland Security.

"Our thoughts are with the families of these individuals and we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance," she said. "We will continue to coordinate with Mexico and push them to bring those responsible to justice."

The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for the return of the four and the arrest of those involved.