Members of the federal police stand guard at a checkpoint in the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, April 6, 2018. (Julio Cesar Aguilar/AFP via Getty Images)
MEXICO CITY — Four U.S. citizens were kidnapped after gunmen opened fire on a car in the northern border city of Matamoros, the FBI said Sunday.
The four entered Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday. They were traveling in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates.
The FBI’s San Antonio branch office said the vehicle opened fire shortly after it entered Mexico.
“All four Americans were put into a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men,” the office said.The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for returning the victims and apprehending the perpetrators. offers.
Matamoros is home to rival factions of the Gulf drug cartel.
The shootout in Matamoros was so bad that the U.S. Consulate issued a danger warning on Friday.
Tamaulipas State Police said people were killed or injured on Friday, but did not disclose how many.