MEXICO. A week after the violent kidnapping of four Americans in the Mexican city of Matamoros, which left three dead and two injured, the US authorities investigating the case have yet to piece together all the pieces of the puzzle. After a notorious drug cartel claimed responsibility and handed over the perpetrators, claiming the kidnapping was a mistake, media in the US insist the story remains muddled as the victims had minor drug convictions and may not have actually crossed border of a neighboring country for treatment. tourism, as originally announced. In fact, one of them allegedly manufactured illegal substances for the purpose of distribution. The initial assessment was that the episode was a “mistake” and the cartel mistook the American team for a rival gang.

CNN showed pictures of five gang members turned over by the cartel to Mexican authorities as rapists, but was unable to confirm the authenticity of the pictures. American and Mexican authorities declined to comment on the relevant information. “The Gulf Cartel apologizes to the community of Matamoros, the families of the Mexican woman who was killed by a stray bullet because she was near the site of the kidnapping, and the families of the two dead Americans,” the handwritten letter reads. Although investigators believe the letter is genuine, officials in both countries have serious doubts about the sincerity of the apology. The provincial governor of Americo Villarreal said a man was arrested for harassing the victims, but did not specify whether he was a member of the cartel.

The bodies of two Americans killed in the kidnapping have been handed over to US diplomatic authorities. “I try to think logically and be strong,” said the father of the 34-year-old boy, Syed Woodward. “It’s a crime for no reason.” Two surviving Americans are being treated at an American hospital. The fifth American, who was supposed to travel with the group to Mexico, postponed the visit at the last moment because she did not have the necessary travel documents. Since then, he has struggled with guilt that she ran away and her friends were killed or injured. “I reproach myself for the fact that I lived, and not they. Everyone tells me that I should be grateful, but I would like to be on their side,” he said. A group of friends traveled from South Carolina to Matamoros to have one of them undergo surgery. However, the gang started shooting at the van they were traveling in and then kidnapped them.

The media insist that the kidnapping of the four Americans remains confusing — a failure of the US healthcare system on the surface.

Fury for speed

The story has exposed the failure of the US healthcare system as too many poor Americans travel to a neighboring country for simple medical procedures such as tooth extractions. At the same time, however, she angered the Mexican public at the speed of her whitewashing, because the victims were American citizens, and the authorities don’t care for months when the victims are Mexicans and 100,000 remain missing.

Finally, the kidnapping sparked calls from Republican lawmakers to designate the cartels as terrorist organizations and give the green light to military operations inside Mexico. The proposal drew a sharp response from Mexican President Andrés Obrador, who said it violated the country’s national sovereignty. . Mexico is not an American protectorate, he protested.