Kidnapped Mexican border-town mayor found alive after hours in captivity
Miguel Angel Almaraz of Rio Bravo was released Sunday, federal officials said, and authorities have not identified the kidnappers.
Miguel Angel Almaraz, the mayor of Rio Bravo, a Mexican border town in Tamaulipas state, was found alive on Sunday, federal officials said. On Saturday, he was abducted for several hours as he journeyed with relatives and companions through an area spanning the states of Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi. Armed men intercepted his car, took him and let the others go.
His relatives reached a town in San Luis Potosi and alerted authorities, according to that state's Security Department. According to officials, his captors freed him in the city of Zacatecas after taking him there. The case is under investigation.
Authorities have not identified the perpetrators, and Al Jazeera reports it is unclear why he was taken. Rio Bravo has about 110,000 people and lies about seven miles from the Texas border. Almaraz belongs to the conservative National Action Party.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, gangs with a reputation for attacks on civilians and politicians, are active in the region where he was seized. Breitbart News reports that Mexico's top security official, Omar Garcia Harfuch, said Almaraz was found safe.
- about 110,000 peoplepopulation of Rio Bravo municipalityAl Jazeera English
- 11km (7 miles)distance of Rio Bravo from the Texas borderAl Jazeera English
Three sides of the story
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Liberal2 outlets
Mayor freed amid cartel violence in Zacatecas
Al Jazeera English leads with the mayor of Rio Bravo found alive after an "hours-long abduction" and cites federal officials for his release on Sunday. It says "It is unclear why Almaraz was taken" and places the case in Zacatecas, a state it describes as known for Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel activity. It recalls earlier violence there: an August car bomb outside a police headquarters in Ojo Caliente that injured 11 people, and 18 bodies found in June 2021.
It adds that six years in prison preceded his 2015 acquittal on money laundering accusations. ABC News runs the AP report under the headline "Kidnapped Mexican border town mayor found alive." Its subhead says he was "kidnapped for several hours."
It stresses that the case is under investigation and that authorities have not named the perpetrators. It also notes his National Action Party membership and past ties to the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution.
- Al Jazeera English: Mexican mayor found alive after hours-long abduction
- ABC News: Kidnapped Mexican border town mayor found alive
Center2 outlets
The AP account of the mayor's release
The Seattle Times and Border Report carry the AP report from Ciudad Victoria. It opens with the mayor of a Mexican border town who "was found alive Sunday" after being kidnapped for several hours, federal officials said. The Seattle Times version lays out the sequence.
Armed men intercepted his car Saturday in a region straddling Zacatecas and San Luis de Potosi, took Almaraz and let his family go. It cites the San Luis Potosi Security Department on how relatives raised the alarm. Officials said he was taken to the city of Zacatecas and released.
The case is under investigation, and "authorities have not identified the perpetrators." It adds that several drug gangs, among them the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, operate in the area. It also says he was jailed in 2009 over money laundering and fuel theft accusations, then acquitted six years later.
Border Report's version begins with the same opening paragraph.
Conservative1 outlet
Cartel kidnapping and a governor's delayed response
Breitbart News, in a report by Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby, headlines the mayor being "Kidnapped by Cartel Gunmen During Family Trip." It calls Almaraz "well-liked" and says the gunmen first took his family too, then released them. It places the incident in San Luis Potosi state and says details remain unclear.
It reports that Mexico's top security official, Omar Garcia Harfuch, said Sunday morning the mayor was found safe with help from San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas, and that it is unclear if he was rescued or released. It then turns to Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarreal, who it says took a full day to issue a brief statement. Breitbart says Villarreal's delayed response has drawn criticism because Almaraz's party is opposed to Morena, the ruling party that also controls Tamaulipas.
It adds that his administration has avoided public scrutiny and major scandals.
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All sources: 5 articles from 5 outlets
Liberal (2)
- ABC News: Kidnapped Mexican border town mayor found alive
- Al Jazeera English: Mexican mayor found alive after hours-long abduction
Center (2)
- Border Report: Mayor of Mexican border town found alive after hourslong kidnapping in Zacatecas
- The Seattle Times: Mexican border town mayor found alive after hourslong kidnapping in Zacatecas
Conservative (1)
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