Last week, four American citizens decided to visit Mexico. The young men in a white van crossed the border and entered the small town of Matamoros in the state of Tamaulipas, which the State Department has classified as a “level 4” danger zone, equivalent to a no-go zone, crime and frequent abductions.” At first, everything seemed to be going well. Zindel Braun’s sister, one of the victims who contacted him on the day of the trip (i.e. last Thursday), said: “I heard them laughing in the car. They didn’t look tense at all.” Five days later, namely on Tuesday, she was informed that her brother was dead.

According to the FBI, their van was ambushed and shot at, during which an innocent Mexican citizen was also killed. Later, four Americans were abducted and taken to a house near the city. In the report, two were killed and one was wounded by a bullet in the leg. It is unknown if they died immediately. As it turned out later from the analyzes found in the folder in the van of unfortunate friends, one of them planned to do liposuction in the abdomen. American citizens, especially those from the South, often visit Mexico to get medicine or undergo certain types of procedures, such as plastic surgery or orthodontics, because the costs are prohibitive in their country.

Mexican authorities, who in recent months have failed to contain the wave of violence that has swept the country, have not yet come to any definite conclusion about the cause of the attack. However, it is speculated that the killers may have mistook American tourists for human traffickers. Recently, cities in northern Mexico have been hosting thousands of Hispanics, as well as Haiti, which is experiencing a tragic humanitarian crisis, which has resulted in the formation of criminal drug trafficking organizations in the United States, between which often there are bloody clashes.

This is not the first time an American citizen has been killed in Mexico, and many in the country fear that the US may at some point demand to take part in the fight against the cartels. A White House press secretary said on Tuesday that the administration is in contact with the families of the victims. “We will work hard to ensure fairness,” he said.