Politics

Mayor of Rio Bravo Released After Abduction in Zacatecas

By Al Jazeera Staff

The mayor of Rio Bravo, Miguel Angel Almaraz, was found alive after being abducted in Zacatecas state. Federal officials said Almaraz was released by his captors on Sunday, hours after being taken to the city of Zacatecas. He was seized while traveling with family and friends in a region that straddles Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí on Saturday, when his car was intercepted by armed men who let the others go. Almaraz’s relatives reached a town in San Luis Potosí and alerted authorities, according to the state’s Security Department. Almaraz is the mayor of Rio Bravo, a municipality of about 110,000 people in Tamaulipas state, 11 km (7 miles) from Mexico’s border with Texas. He was acquitted of money‑laundering charges in 2015 after serving six years in prison. He is a member of the conservative National Action Party but was previously associated with the left‑wing Party of the Democratic Revolution. Authorities are investigating the case, including who might have been involved in the abduction. Zacatecas state is known for activity involving the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, both accused of attacking civilians and politicians. A car bomb exploded outside a municipal police headquarters in Ojo Caliente, Zacatecas, in August, injuring 11 people and damaging about 30 homes; officials said the attack may have been retaliation by an organized crime group after a recent arrest. In June 2021, police discovered the bullet‑ridden bodies of 18 men after an apparent gun battle between suspected drug cartels in Zacatecas state.