Mexican authorities arrested five people in connection with the kidnapping of four U.S. citizens, according to a Mexican official.
Irving Barrios Mojica, the attorney general of Tamaulipas, announced the arrests Friday on Twitter. There was also a sixth arrest within the past few days. The five suspects are being charged with aggravated kidnapping and intentional simple homicide in connection with the kidnapping of the four Americans near the Brownsville, Texas, border, two of which were murdered. It was not immediately revealed whether the five arrested were the five presented to authorities by the Gulf cartel.
MEXICAN KIDNAPPINGS: CARTEL OFFERS APOLOGY LETTER AND FIVE SUSPECTS FOR KILLING US CITIZENS
“The #FGJT completed an arrest warrant against 5 people linked to the events of March 3 in #Matamoros for the crimes of aggravated kidnapping and intentional simple homicide. One more person, arrested in recent days, was linked to the process,” Mojica tweeted on Friday.
La #FGJT cumplimentó orden de aprehensión vs 5 personas ligadas a hechos del 3 de marzo en #Matamoros por los delitos de secuestro agravado y homicidio simple intencional. Una persona más, detenida en días pasados, fue vinculada a proceso #Sedena #Marina #FGR #CONASE #SSPT #GN
— Dr. Irving Barrios Mojica (@IrvingBarriosM) March 10, 2023
The day prior, Mojica tweeted that authorities had seized five vehicles, including a Lamborghini stolen from the United States, in an operation linked to the March 3 killings.
Cinco vehículos, entre ellos un Lamborghini robado en #EUA, fueron localizados en #Matamoros derivado del operativo conjunto con Guardia Estatal de @SSP_GobTam, Policía Investigadora de #FGJT y personal de #CONASE de @SSPCMexico, a raíz de los hechos del pasado 3 de marzo #FGR
— Dr. Irving Barrios Mojica (@IrvingBarriosM) March 10, 2023
Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown, LaTavia Washington McGee, and Eric Williams were apparently visiting Mexico for a medical procedure. Woodard and Brown were killed, and McGee and Williams were rescued and brought back to the U.S. A Mexican bystander was also killed.
Five people were handed over to Mexican authorities by the Scorpions faction of the Gulf cartel, one of the largest in Mexico, with an apology letter directed to the U.S. government and the victims’ families.
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“The men responsible for these actions acted under their own will and lack of discipline against the [Gulf cartel] rules. We apologize to the family of Miss Arely and the rest of the American families,” the letter stated.
The attack led to widespread outrage in the U.S., including calls by some lawmakers to authorize the use of the military in Mexico.
