Latest kidnapping in Mexico: Two Americans rescued from drug cartel storehouse named after Matamoros attack

The recent kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico exposed a habit for many people in the US: traveling to other countries for medical care that is not available at home or costs much less

South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News he would introduce legislation to “pave the way” for Mexico’s use of military force to fight the drug cartel.

Mr Graham made the remarks on Jesse Watters’ show on Monday night and said he would “put legislation in place to make certain Mexican drug cartels foreign terrorist organizations under US law and pave the way for them to use military force if necessary. “

The independentEric Garcia’s has the story:

A video widely shared on social media, reportedly filmed in the city on Friday, shows people being dragged and dumped into the back of a white flatbed truck parked in the middle of a busy street by gunmen wearing body armor.

The video has not been officially verified and the FBI has not commented publicly on it.

Matamoros is notorious as a center for gang violence and illegal migrant smuggling.

The Tamaulipas state police said on its social media channel that people had been killed and injured in two gun battles in Matamoros on Friday in which neither the military nor police were involved, but did not provide further details about the shootings or say whether the kidnappings were related.

“There have been two armed incidents between unidentified civilians,” it said. “The exact number of cases is confirmed.”

Photos have now been released of the abandoned car, with visible bullet holes.

The bodies of two Americans killed in Matamoros, Mexico, will be repatriated after local authorities conduct forensic evaluations, a source close to the investigation told CNN.

Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villareal said during a televised interview with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that two individuals, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, were killed.

Two other US citizens, one unharmed and one injured, are back on US soil.

Photos by the Associated Press showed the moment when the two surviving US citizens were rescued by Mexican authorities.

They were found in a storehouse in a rural area east of Matamoros called Ejido Longoreño on the way to the local beach known as Playa Baghdad, a source close to the investigation told the AP.

Zindell Brown, one of two Americans killed in the kidnapping, was concerned about the risks of traveling to Mexico, his sister told the Associated Press.

“Zindell kept saying, ‘We mustn’t go down,'” Zalandria Brown told the news organization.

And she added: “This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from. To see a family member get thrown into the back of a truck and dragged along, it’s just unbelievable.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday that attacks on American citizens under any circumstances are unacceptable.

Ms Jean-Pierre said more information will be released after family members of the two fatalities and two kidnapping survivors have been notified of any developments in the case by US officials. She also noted that the Biden administration remains committed to “disrupting transnational criminal organizations, including Mexican drug cartels and people smugglers.”

“We remain committed to using the full weight of our efforts and resources to counter them,” said Ms Jean-Pierre.

Our immediate concerns are the safe return of our citizens, the health and well-being of those who survived this attack, and the support to be provided to the families of those in need.

A photo of Jose Guadalupe “N”, the person detained during the rescue operation, is shown at a press conference to provide details after two US citizens were found dead in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, at the Auditorium of Secretaria de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana on March 7, 2023 in Mexico City, Mexico.

The US consulate in Matamoros on Friday issued a warning to its employees in response to the latest outbreak of violence.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741 or submit tips online anonymously here.

Footage from the scene where four US citizens were rescued is shown on a screen during a press conference to provide details after two US citizens were found dead in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, at the Auditorium of Secretaria de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana on March 7, 2023 in Mexico City, Mexico.