Abducted Americans crossed border seeking medicine in Mexico, Lopez Obrador says

A group of Americans who crossed the southern border and were kidnapped amid a firefight in Matamoros entered Mexico seeking medicine, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Monday.

"There was a confrontation between groups, and they were detained," he said, according to the New York Post. "I believe it will be resolved, I hope so."

The four Americans entered Mexico in a white minivan sporting a North Carolina license plate via Brownsville, Texas, according to the FBI's San Antonio Division office. The van came under fire during the kidnapping incident. The city of Matamoros is host to numerous feuding drug cartel factions. Its position near the Texas border makes the town a critical jumping off point for drug trafficking efforts.

Many details of the affair remain hazy and the identities of the victims remain undisclosed. The White House on Monday vowed to work with the Mexican government to repatriate the Americans and hold the kidnappers accountable.

"Our thoughts are with the families of these individuals and we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. We will continue to coordinate with Mexico and push them to bring those responsible to justice," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, per the Post.

The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for the return of the kidnapping victims and the arrest of the perpetrators.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.