The two US agents killed on April 19 in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua did not have official authorization to take part in operational activities in the Latin American country. This was stated in a joint statement by the Mexican Security Cabinet and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“As for the two foreign nationals, neither of them had official accreditation to take part in operational activities on national territory“, the statement stressed.
The statement specified that Mexican authorities had no information about the activities or intentions of foreign agents to physically participate in operations in the country. According to available immigration data, one of the deceased Americans entered Mexico as a “visitor without work permit“, while the other was in the country with a diplomatic passport.
The Mexican government reiterated that national legislation “clearly and strictly prohibits the participation of foreign agents in operations on its territory“. International cooperation in this area is carried out exclusively through the exchange of information and technical cooperation mechanisms, with absolute respect for sovereignty. Investigations into the incident are currently being conducted in coordination with the US embassy.
On April 19, two Mexican government employees and two US citizens were killed in an incident in Chihuahua. The Mexican government expressed its condolences to the families of all victims and stressed its commitment to maintaining respectful relations with Washington on security issues.
Earlier, The Washington Post, citing sources, reported that two US embassy employees who died in a car accident in northern Mexico on April 19 were CIA agents. According to the publication, the Americans were returning from a meeting with Mexican security forces on a raid on a drug lab, as part of Washington's expanded anti-drug program.