Mexican mayor found alive after hours-long abduction

What the report says

Mexican authorities say Miguel Angel Almaraz, the mayor of Rio Bravo, was found alive after being abducted for several hours in Zacatecas state, an area in northern Mexico that has seen repeated cartel-linked violence. According to Al Jazeera’s report, federal officials said he was released by his captors on Sunday after being taken the previous day.

The mayor was travelling with family and friends when armed men intercepted his vehicle in the region between Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi. The others in the group were allowed to leave, and relatives later reached a town in San Luis Potosi and informed authorities, the state Security Department said. Officials have not said why Almaraz was targeted.

Almaraz leads Rio Bravo, a border municipality in Tamaulipas state with about 110,000 residents, near the US border. The report also notes that he was previously acquitted of money laundering charges in 2015 after serving six years in prison, and that he has been associated with both Mexico’s conservative National Action Party and, earlier, the left-leaning PRD.

Authorities said they are investigating the abduction and any possible links to organized crime. Al Jazeera highlighted Zacatecas as a violent corridor where groups including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel have been active, underscoring the broader security risks facing local officials in parts of Mexico.