Rio Bravo Mayor Found Alive After Abduction in Zacatecas

Miguel Angel Almaraz, the mayor of Rio Bravo in Mexico's Tamaulipas state, was found alive on Sunday after being abducted in neighbouring Zacatecas state.

Federal officials said Almaraz was released by his captors on Sunday, hours after armed men intercepted his car on Saturday. He was travelling with family and friends through a region that straddles Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi when the abduction occurred. The armed men released the other passengers but took Almaraz to the city of Zacatecas.

His relatives reached a town in San Luis Potosi and alerted the state Security Department, according to officials.

Rio Bravo is a municipality of about 110,000 people located 11 kilometres, or 7 miles, from Mexico's border with Texas. Almaraz is a member of the conservative National Action Party and was previously associated with the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution. He was acquitted of money laundering charges in 2015 after serving six years in prison.

Authorities said it is unclear why Almaraz was taken and that they are investigating who might be involved.

Zacatecas state has experienced significant violence linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, both accused of attacking civilians and politicians. In August, a car bomb exploded outside a municipal police headquarters in Ojo Caliente, injuring 11 people and damaging about 30 homes. Officials said the attack may have been retaliation by an organised crime group after a recent arrest. In June 2021, police found the bullet-ridden bodies of 18 men following an apparent gun battle between suspected drug cartels in the state.

Source: Al Jazeera.