Officials at the US consulate in the Mexican border city of Matamoros were ordered to “shelter in place” Monday as gun violence linked to drug cartels raged around them.
The town is where four Americans were kidnapped in March – and two of them eventually killed – after apparently being mistaken for cartel rivals.
Monday’s shutdown was sparked when four people were reported killed the same day in clashes with Mexican troops in the border town, which sits across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas.
“Employees of the US Consulate General Matamoros are currently under a protective order in place until 1:30 pm in Matamoros due to gun violence occurring in the city,” read tweets from the consulate Monday.
“We recommend you shelter in place and keep checking local news for updates in your area,” he added.
The gunman was on a Mexican marine patrol, and authorities later recovered the firearm and tactical equipment, according to a state official.
Workers at the US Consulate in Matamoros, Mexico, were told to “shelter in place” Monday amid gun battles in the city involving Mexican troops. US State Department
The consulate in Matamoros is located across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas. US State Department
The Gulf Cartel, a criminal syndicate and drug-trafficking group, is based in the Mexican border town.
The New Generation of the Jalisco Cartel is also active in Matamoros.
Four people were reportedly killed in the exchange of fire on Monday. Ministry of National Defense/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
One of the Americans killed in March, Shaeed Woodard, had traveled to Mexico so his cousin, Latavia McGee, could get a stomach. Another US citizen killed, Zindell Brown, was among the same group.
The four kidnap victims apparently got lost in the area on their way to McGee’s medical procedure.
The shocking kidnapping and killing sparked an outcry in Washington, with some lawmakers, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C.), calling for the cartel to be designated a foreign domestic terrorist organization.
The Gulf Cartel admitted that some of its members participated in the crime and apologized in a letter to Mexican police. The group also handed over five members they said were responsible for the March 3 killings.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
