(NEW YORK) — The two Americans who survived a violent kidnapping ordeal in Mexico are back in the U.S., as questions remain surrounding what happened to the two members of the group who died.
Here’s everything we know:
The kidnapping
The four Americans — Eric James Williams, Zindell Brown and cousins Latavia “Tay” McGee and Shaeed Woodard — drove Friday morning into Matamoros, Mexico, which is in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas just south of Brownsville, Texas.
“Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen fired upon the passengers in the vehicle,” and then put the four Americans in another car and fled, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said.
Irving Barrios, the attorney general of Tamaulipas, said the Americans were not directly targeted and it appears “it was a misunderstanding.”
Mexican investigators think the kidnappers may have wrongly believed the Americans were rival human traffickers, a source close to the investigation told ABC News.
The rescue
Williams and McGee survived the kidnapping. They were found Tuesday morning in a wooden house in the Lagunona area, outside of Matamoros, Mexican officials said.
One of the deceased was also found inside the house, and the second was found outside the house, a source close to the investigation told ABC News.
One person has been arrested. The 24-year-old suspect was in charge of looking after the victims inside the house where they were found, Mexican officials said.
During the days they were held, the Americans were transferred to various places, including a clinic, in order to create confusion and avoid rescue efforts, said the governor of Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal.
What are the survivors’ conditions?
McGee is a mother of five who traveled from South Carolina to Mexico for a cosmetic medical procedure, according to her family.
Her mother, Barbara Burgess, told ABC News she spoke to her daughter on Tuesday. She said McGee had no major injuries.
Michele Williams, wife of survivor Eric Williams, said the FBI told her that her husband had been shot twice in one leg and once in the other.
He has undergone surgery in a Texas hospital, she said.
The investigation
The FBI said it’s working with “federal and international partners to determine the facts of what happened and to hold those responsible for this horrific and violent attack accountable for their crimes.”
The FBI and State Department are working to bring the bodies of the two victims back to the U.S., the FBI added.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday, “Attacks on U.S. citizens are unacceptable, no matter where, under what circumstances they occur. We’re going to work closely with the Mexican government to ensure that justice is done in this case.”
President Joe Biden has “been kept updated” on the situation, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.
The FBI urges anyone with information to call its San Antonio office at 210-225-6741 or submit information on its website.
(COLCHESTER, England) — On a cold, damp March morning, hundreds of people had turned out in Colchester, England, hoping for a glimpse of King Charles III. The gathering was, however, divided into two distinct groups. By far the larger of the two was there to support their king, but the smaller — those there to protest against him and the institution he heads — may well have been the louder.
The king and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, were in the city a few hours from London to celebrate its newfound status as a city, to visit a library and to announce the name of a baby rhino recently born at the zoo. All very standard royal stuff.
But Charles’ visit attracted something that would have been unlikely to have happened had it been the late Queen Elizabeth II at Tuesday’s engagements. A group of about a dozen had gathered to greet the king with signs reading: “Not My King.” They booed loudly as the royal couple went past.
The protests were organized by Graham Smith, the head of an anti-monarchist campaign group, Republic, whose mission is “to see the monarchy abolished and the King replaced with an elected, democratic head of state,” according to its website.
Republic has gained a new momentum since the queen died. It has been gathering more support both financially and in recruits to its cause, according to Smith.
“Charles has not inherited the respect and deference and sycophancy that the Queen enjoyed,” Smith told ABC News after the King had gone. “And it’s a very different environment in which to campaign now.”
Protests against the late queen were extremely rare. Now a smattering of Republic supporters appear set to follow Charles wherever he goes. Last month when he visited Milton Keynes, the yellow placards were also being thrust in the air. On two of his first engagements as king, he had eggs hurled at him. Republic members were not behind the egg incidents.
“I think the relationship is changing. I think there was a great loyalty to the queen … but society has changed. Which is why opinion is changing,” Liz Stephens, who also works with Republic, told ABC News, adding, “The Royal Family is not representative of the society we live in.”
“There were occasional protests against the monarchy when Queen Elizabeth was alive but there is definitely a sense that the end of her reign has sparked a renewed sense of vigour amidst the republican movement,” notes ABC News Royal Contributor Victoria Murphy.
She added, “The queen consistently outpolled the monarchy in her popularity, and her reputation was pretty much untouchable by the end of her reign, but the same is not true for the new king. He has a challenge on his hands because a lot of questions are being asked about the monarchy globally right now and we have a lavish coronation about to happen at a time of financial hardship for many.”
“I think there’s a lot more of an appetite for challenging that wealth and misuse of money,” Smith said.
His group is planning a large protest at the coronation, with those yellow “Not My King!” placards set to pepper the king’s procession route with a flash of colour and dissent.
“I think it’s a disgrace. To think this country is in a mess and we’re spending out millions on a coronation,” Michael, who was one of the protesters in Colchester, told ABC News.
And there are signs that others feel as strongly as Michael does. Smith says that he has seen donations to Republic more than double in the last few years. In 2020 Republic had £100,000 in the bank, by 2022 it was £286,000; £70,000 of that coming in after the queen died, he said. They have hired more staff and moved to new offices. The donations are mostly coming in small amounts from lots of people, Smith notes and some money is coming from the sale of merchandise.
That merchandise largely aimed at the younger demographic with hoodies that read “Bring down the crown” and T-shirts with “#NotMyKing,” which may be a prudent move by Smith, as polls are indicating that the younger generation is losing interest in the monarchy. The most recent royal favorability poll from YouGov, published in January, said only 34% of 18- to 25-year-olds thought Britain should continue to have a monarchy.
While the King may not be as popular as his mother, he nevertheless enjoys widespread support, which was evident in Colchester. The larger group shouted down the protesters with cries of “God Save the King!”
“I think the Royal Family is so important to our country and we’ve got to show him our support,” a local resident named Natasha told ABC News. “I think we’ve got something special with the Royal Family and we’ve got to hold onto it. Sometimes there’s a bit of negativity surrounding it. But there’s a lot of support out there.”
“Further down the line we’ve got William and Kate who are a complete asset to the Royal Family as well,” she said.
(MATAMOROS, Mexico) — Two of the four Americans kidnapped in Mexico have been found dead, while the other two were rescued alive, officials announced Tuesday.
The survivors — Eric James Williams and Latavia “Tay” McGee — have returned to the U.S., their families said.
The four Americans — Williams, McGee, Zindell Brown and McGee’s cousin Shaeed Woodard — arrived Friday morning in Matamoros, Mexico, which is in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas just south of Brownsville, Texas.
“Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen shot the passengers of the vehicle,” the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said. The Americans had been traveling in a white minivan.
“The gunmen herded the four U.S. citizens into another vehicle and fled,” the embassy said.
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The Americans were not directly targeted, Attorney General of Tamaulipas, Irving Barrios, said at a news conference.
It “seems to be that it was a misunderstanding,” Barrios said.
Mexican investigators believe the kidnappers may have wrongly believed the Americans were rival human traffickers, a source close to the investigation told ABC News.
The two survivors were found Tuesday morning in a wooden house in the Lagunona area, outside of Matamoros, Mexican officials said at a news conference.
Williams had a gunshot wound to his leg, said the governor of Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal.
During the three days they were held, the Americans were transferred to various places, including a clinic, in order to create confusion and avoid rescue efforts, Villarreal said.
One person has been arrested. The 24-year-old suspect was in charge of looking after the victims inside the house where they were found, Mexican officials said.
One of the survivors, McGee, is a mother of five who traveled from South Carolina to Mexico for a cosmetic medical procedure.
Her mother, Barbara Burgess, told ABC News she “had to hold my heart” when the FBI came to her home on Tuesday with the news her daughter was alive.
McGee spoke to her mother from a Texas hospital on Tuesday and told her mother she had no major injuries, Burgess said.
Williams, the second survivor, called his wife, Michele Williams, as he was being transported to a Texas hospital, she told ABC News.
“It was just tears of joy,” she said.
The bodies of the two deceased Americans will be transferred to the U.S. on Tuesday, Mexican officials said. The State Department is “in the process” of repatriating the two deceased victims, spokesperson Ned Price said Tuesday afternoon.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Tuesday, “We offer our deepest condolences to the friends and families of those who were killed in these attacks.”
Price said, “We thank our Mexican and U.S. law enforcement partners for their efforts to find these innocent victims and the task forward is to ensure that justice is done.”
President Joe Biden has “been kept updated” on the situation, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday, adding that U.S. officials are in touch with the families.
Jean-Pierre called attacks on U.S. citizens “unacceptable.”
ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman, Matt Rivers, Anne Laurent, Shannon Crawford, Dan Carranza and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — One year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, both sides are still fighting for control of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops have liberated nearly 30,000 square miles of their territory from Russian forces since the invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, but Putin appears to be preparing for a long and bloody war. Tens of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have already died on the battlefield, while Ukrainian civilians continue to be terrorized by Russian missiles.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Mar 07, 12:09 PM EST
Up to 30,000 Russian casualties in Bakhmut: Western officials
Up to 30,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured in Bakhmut over the last several months amid intense fighting in the eastern Ukrainian city, Western officials said in a briefing Tuesday.
The ratio of dead to injured was “unclear,” said the officials, who described Ukraine’s refusal to withdraw from the city — even though its forces are surrounded on three sides — as “a sound tactic” given that “lots of Russians are being killed.”
“What we’re seeing is a horrific level of Russian casualties for minimal gains,” they said, noting that an estimated 200,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded overall since the war began.
In the past 24 hours, 244 Russian troops were killed and 315 wounded in Bakhmut, Serhiy Chevrevaty, a spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern group of forces, said during a national telethon on Tuesday.
The officials refused to say how many Ukrainians have been killed or injured in and around Bakhmut but claimed it was “significantly lower.”
They also were unable to put a clear time frame on when a Ukrainian withdrawal might come, though noted the possibility of a Ukrainian counteroffensive should not be ruled out.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Mar 05, 5:20 PM EST
13 found dead after strike hits Zhaporizhzhia
Thirteen people have been found dead since a rocket struck an apartment building in Zhaporizhzhia, Ukraine, authorities said.
The governor there has called for a national day of mourning on Monday.
The State Emergency Situation of Ukraine in Zaporizhzhia initially posted on their Telegram account Friday that seven people were dead.
So far, 11 people have been saved, and 20 people were able to evacuate the building.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Mar 03, 2:21 PM EST
Merrick Garland makes unannounced visit to Ukraine
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Friday at the invitation of the Ukrainian prosecutor general to join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other international partners at the United for Justice Conference.
Garland attended several meetings while he was there.
-ABC News’ Alexander Mallin
Mar 03, 2:09 PM EST
US announces $400 million more in military aid for Ukraine
The U.S. Department of Defense announced $400 million in new military aid for Ukraine, including eight folding armored bridges for the first time.
This is the Biden administration’s 33rd drawdown of equipment from Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Mar 03, 2:08 PM EST
5,000 remain in Bakhmut as Russian shelling intensifies
Around 5,000 people still remain in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, including 37 children, according to Donetsk Oblast Regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
The losses in Bakhmut stand at the rate of one Ukrainian solider to seven Russian soldiers, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksii Danilo said on TV.
Russian forces fighting for control of Bakhmut intensified shelling at access roads to the west, making it harder for Ukrainian forces to move in and out, Reuters reported Friday.
-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd
Mar 03, 12:20 PM EST
Blinken, Ukrainian foreign minister discuss Lavrov meeting
The State Department said Friday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba about the brief conversation that took place at the G-20 summit between Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“The Secretary underscored to Foreign Minister Kuleba the United States’ enduring support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s brutal attacks, including the ongoing targeting of civilian infrastructure and resulting civilian casualties,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
Mar 02, 3:48 PM EST
US to announce more weapons for Ukraine on Friday
The U.S. will announce another assistance package for Ukraine on Friday, White House spokesperson John Kirby announced Thursday afternoon, but did not detail the exact size of this next round of support.
“You’ll see us tomorrow, just unilaterally, the U.S. will have another round of assistance for Ukraine coming tomorrow. And it will include mostly ammunitions and munitions that the Ukrainians will need for the systems that they already have, like the HIMARS and the artillery.”
The new aid comes as President Joe Biden meets with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House Friday to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine as Russia’s invasion continues.
Kirby said the leaders would discuss the “kinds of capabilities that Ukraine continues to need in the weeks and months ahead.”
He also said this will be a “true working visit” between Biden and Scholz and they are expected to discuss “recent engagements with Ukrainian officials, including the President’s trip to Kyiv and meeting with President Zelenskyy, as well as Chancellor Schultz’s meeting with President Zelensky in Paris last month.”
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Mar 02, 3:12 PM EST
Lavrov ‘diverted’ Blinken’s calls to reconsider Russia leaving START treaty
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov “diverted” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s calls to reconsider the decision to suspend Russia’s participation in the New START treaty, Russia’s foreign ministry told Interfax, Russian news agency.
“If they want to return to diplomacy, let them return. If they are engaged in self-promotion and such inexpensive PR, well, this is possible. True, the result will be appropriate,” Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the ministry, told Russian TV channel Rossiya-1.
-ABC News’ Natalia Shumskaia
Mar 02, 12:36 PM EST
Blinken, Lavrov hold ‘on the go’ talk at G-20 meeting
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had an “on the go” talk during the G-20 Meeting of Foreign Ministers in India, but there were no negotiations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS, a Russian news agency, Thursday.
“Blinken asked for a contact with Lavrov. Sergey Viktorovich [Lavrov] had communication on the go during the second session. But there were no negotiations, no meeting or so on,” the diplomat said.
Blinken had said earlier in the day during a press conference he had “spoke briefly” with Lavrov and discussed ending the war, as well as Russia rejoining the New START Treaty on nuclear arms.
“I told the foreign minister what I and so many others said last week at the United Nations and what so many G-20 foreign ministers said today: End this war of aggression, engage in meaningful diplomacy that could produce a just and durable peace,” he said. “The United States stands ready to support Ukraine through diplomacy to end the war on this basis.”
A senior State Department official downplayed any hopes that the conversation moved the needle on any of the topics.
-ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova and Shannon Crawford
Mar 01, 5:12 PM EST
Ukraine says it’s shot down 80% of Russian missiles
Ukraine has shot down 80% of Russian missiles, according to Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Air Force Serhiy Nayev.
Nayev made the assessment in a Facebook post on Wednesday about the effectiveness of the air defense system.
(MEXICO CITY) — Two of the four Americans kidnapped in Mexico have been found dead, while the other two have been found alive, according to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
One of those found alive was injured, Tamaulipas Gov. Américo Villarreal said Tuesday.
One person has been arrested, the president said.
Emergency medical services and security are responding to the situation, the governor added.
The American citizens crossed into Matamoros, in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas just south of Brownsville, Texas, in a white minivan with North Carolina plates on Friday, according to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.
“Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen shot the passengers of the vehicle,” the embassy said. “The gunmen herded the four U.S. citizens into another vehicle and fled the scene with them.”
The four Americans were identified as Zindell Brown, Eric James Williams and cousins Latavia “Tay” McGee and Shaeed Woodard.
McGee’s mother, Barbara Burgess, told ABC News that her daughter traveled from South Carolina to Mexico for a cosmetic medical procedure.
On Friday, the day of the appointment, Burgess said McGee called to say she was 15 minutes away from the doctor’s office. Burgess called McGee later that day but never heard back, she said.
The Americans were taken after getting caught in the middle of a confrontation between groups, according to Mexico’s president, who told reporters Monday that they “crossed the border to buy medicines in Mexico.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(SEOUL, South Korea) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s second child, a daughter named Kim Ju Ae, who has been exposed to the public lately, has an older brother and another sibling, according to lawmakers who were briefed by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) in a closed-door meeting Tuesday.
Lawmakers Youn Kun-young and Yoo Sang-bum shared new tidbits about the Kim family with reporters after a closed-door briefing with the spy agency.
“Kim Ju Ae appears to be homeschooled in Pyongyang and her hobbies include horseback riding, swimming, and skiing. In particular, there is information that Kim Jong Un is quite satisfied with her excellent horseback riding skills,” Yoo told reporters.
But news that people with the same name as Kim Ju Ae were forced to change their names in North Korea appears to be false, according to the spy agency.
Questions have been raised whether Kim’s 9-year-old daughter may become the future leader of the isolated regime after she had been spotted at official events since last November when Kim Jong Un took her to the ICBM test launch site.
She received spotlight as she accompanied her father hand in hand during the military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the country’s army. North Korea’s state media described her as the “respected” and “beloved” daughter of Kim Jong Un in a report about the parade.
“The intention behind the second born Kim Joo Ae’s frequent appearance in public seems like an effort to imprint the legitimacy of the hereditary succession of the Kim bloodline,” Yoo said.
The NIS explained that Kim Jong Un is still too young and healthy to designate a successor so early.
Little is known about the other two siblings. Yoo told reporters that the first child is a son citing international intel, although there is no specific physical evidence. The existence of the third child has been confirmed, but the gender is still unknown according to intelligence.
Lawmaker Yun also told the press that North Korea could engage in large-scale, military drills in March or April, and test its new solid fuel Intercontinental ballistic missile soon.
(NEW YORK) — On the sidelines of China’s annual National People’s Congress this week, both Chinese President Xi Jinping and newly promoted Foreign Minister Qin Gang aired their respective frustrations at the United States.
In a closed-door session with delegates from China’s private sector Monday, Xi made a rare direct reference to the United States when blaming Washington for his nation’s economic challenges.
In the Chinese-language readout of the meeting from the Xinhua News Agency, Xi said, “The Western countries led by the United States have implemented all-round containment, containment and suppression on our country, bringing unprecedented severe challenges to the our development.”
The criticism does not appear in the English-language version.
Xi’s remarks come as U.S.-China tension have remained high since the U.S. accused Beijing of sending a high-altitude surveillance balloon over the continental United States last month and then proceede to shoot it down with a fighter jet.
Despite both sides having signaled a desire for a reset when Xi met with President Joe Biden at the G20 in Bali last November, the two largest economies in the world remain at odds on a whole host of issues not limited to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Taiwan and advanced semiconductors.
The Chinese leader’s frustrations during Monday’s panel discussion came on the heels of the U.S. asking Japan and the Netherlands to tighten export controls of chip manufacturing equipment and technologies to China, prompting an angry response from Beijing.
During his first press conference as foreign minister, Qin Gang — most recently the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. — warned that while Beijing was “committed” to stable ties with Washington, the relationship will worsen if the U.S. does not change its attitude toward China and potentially incite conflict.
“If the U.S. does not hit the brake, but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailing, and there will surely be conflicts and confrontation,” said Qin. “Who will bear the catastrophic consequences?”
Bringing up the balloon incident, Qin said that the U.S. took “advantage of the topic and created a diplomatic crisis that could have been avoided.”
“The U.S. perception and views of China are seriously distorted. It regards China as its primary rival and the most consequential geopolitical challenge. This is like the first button of a shirt being put wrong,” Qin continued.
“Containment and suppression will not make America great again, nor will it stop China from moving towards national rejuvenation,” he said.
Qin later slammed the U.S.’s Indo-Pacific strategy, accusing Washington of forming “exclusive small circles” to provoke confrontation, decoupling and creating an “Asia-Pacific version of NATO.”
“The real purpose of the Indo-Pacific strategy is to contain China,” Qin said. “No Cold War should be repeated in Asia, and no Ukraine-style crisis should be repeated in Asia.”
On relations with Russia, Qin said the China-Russia ties “do not pose a threat to any country in the world, nor will it be interfered or sowed discord in by any third party.”
“The more unstable the world becomes, the more imperative it is for China and Russia to steadily advance their relations,” he said.
On Taiwan, Qin warned the U.S. not to “interfere in China’s internal affairs” saying the issue is a “red line that must not be crossed” and the “bedrock of the political foundation of China-U.S. relations.”
Qin slammed the U.S. for double-standards when discussing Ukraine and Taiwan, saying “the Chinese people have the right to ask why the U.S. talks about respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Ukraine issue, but does not respect China on the Taiwan issue? Why does the US ask China not to provide weapons to Russia while keeps selling arms to Taiwan?”
Beijing sees self-governing Taiwan as a renegade province and claims the island as its territory despite never having directly controlled it.
In an appeal for getting U.S.-China relations back on track, Qin drew from his tenure in the States.
“I have noticed that more and more people in the United States are deeply worried about the current Sino-US relations, and they have called on the US government to implement a rational and pragmatic China policy,” Qin said.
Qin attempted to highlight a distinction between U.S. politicians and the American people, echoing a tactic used in Washington to distinguish between the ruling Communist Party of China and the Chinese people.
“The American people are as warm, friendly and honest as the Chinese people. They all pursue a happy life and a better world. When I was working in the United States, the workers at the Long Beach dock in Los Angeles told me that the livelihood of the whole family depended on the trade of goods between China and the United States, and that the two countries should prosper together,” he said.
“Whenever I think of them, I think that what determines China-U.S. relations should be the common interests of the two countries, shared responsibilities and friendship between the two peoples, rather than U.S. domestic politics and hysterical Neo-McCarthyism,” Qin added.
(PARIS) — As ticket sales for the 2024 Paris Olympics get underway, some online reviewers have begun to raise concerns about what they see as the flaws of a new sales system.
A new ticket draw registration was implemented for these Games, which start in July 2024. Ticket buyers had to enter the draw to access the first two rounds of sales, marking a first for the Olympics. Early buyers are also compelled to buy tickets to more than one event. The first round of sales is underway and the second starts on March 15. Single ticket sales open on May 11.
Some have said that their anger and frustration have been mounting over what they described as a lack of transparency and a lack of affordable options.
In online reviews, the new system has been described as “an absolute shambles” and “a damper.” Others said, “Shame on you” and “that excitement was short-lived.”
The Paris committee has a total of 13.5 million tickets to sell, which includes 3.5 million for the Paralympics. Half of all tickets have been priced at 50 euros or less. About one million tickets are priced below 24 euros apiece.
“We know that we are going to make people disappointed because you have 4 billion people watching the games, and we have 10 million tickets, so we know that inevitably that there will be people disappointed,” 2024 Olympics spokesperson Michael Aloïsio said.
Reviews are mixed, as some events sell out
But sales have been brisk. The organization said that 14 sports had remaining tickets, as of Tuesday afternoon.
“It started extremely strong, and it continues to move every day,” Aloïsio told ABC News.
Stefan Junker, 47, a German fan, told ABC News he was “very happy” he’ll be attending the Games with his wife. He said it felt “a little bit like Christmas” when he got his 24 tickets on Feb. 21.
Self-described super fan Isabelle Zky, who’ll be attending her first Olympics, couldn’t believe her luck.
“I have been a fan of the Olympic Games for 30 years so I only dreamed of being able to attend,” the 46-year-old Parisian told ABC News.
She said she had a few tickets secured for now.
While there are many happy fans, some regret an overall lack of transparency, mainly about the draw and buying system.
Sacha Lorber, 23, a French national in Australia, said he was proud he managed to buy 30 tickets for himself and his family back in his homeland.
He described his experience as “smooth,” crediting his day-long preparation “to try and understand everything,” but to him, “it always seemed like they were hiding something.”
Lorber said the issues about the buying experience could have been resolved by “providing a simulator” and more transparency, in real time, about the states of the sales in each sport, to avoid having to “hunt for information.” He added that “they campaign the buying process for its inclusivity and openness, hard to see from my perspective.”
Zky said she regretted there was “no national preference” in the beginning. She also criticized the 30-ticket cap per buyer as “a bit excessive.”
The mandatory buying of the same number of tickets in each sport within a pack was an important issue for Aymane Hedaraly, 26, based in Grenoble, and her friends.
Some see prices as discouraging
Some of the people selected in the initial draw said they experienced a different kind of frustration.
“I have the impression that France does not want the inhabitants of its own country, or the fans even of athletics, to go to the stadium to see,” Maëva Beaujour, who was unlucky in the draw, said.
The 25-year-old said she was profoundly disappointment.
“The whole way of doing things, I find that it does not make sense and does not correspond at all to the idea of opening the games wide,” the sprint, 200 and 400m runner states.
“I think that the target is not the inhabitants of France,” she said, adding that €700 for a ticket is “crazy in the midst of inflation.”
Her sentiments were shared by other people ABC News spoke with.
Yorick Spieker, 50, from the town of Kempen northwest of Düsseldorf, said he found the prices “ridiculous” too.
“There wasn’t really a budget,” he said, but “I’m not going to spend 2,000 or 3000 euro on four tickets.”
Sélène Agapé, 31, who lives in Seine-Saint-Denis, an area hosting a portion of the games, said she was crushed when she logged on to buy tickets last Tuesday.
“I was disappointed because it looked super accessible the way it was presented, I felt like I was going to have all my chances, but in the end, not at all,” she said.
She said she had a budget equivalent to about $211 to see some athletics, boxing and judo events.
“The further you go in the stages, the less accessible it is, the conditions make it less accessible,” she adds.
Hedaraly said she was only offered a minimum of $159 per play-off ticket.
Even with an anticipated budget of $5,299, which she said she’d been saving since 2017, Zky, the super fan, said the Olympics are “very expensive.” She said she found the pricing differences between some categories “a bit harsh.”
The French committee said it was aware some had expressed their disappointment, but considered it par for the course as they have higher demand than the total number of tickets. That point was repeated by 2024 Games President Tony Estanguet, a former athlete, last week as he addressed the controversy on a local radio show.
Despite the controversy, Michael Aloïsio predicted the second sale would sell out before its intended close on March 15.
(MEXICO CITY) — The four Americans kidnapped in Mexico on Friday “crossed the border to buy medicines in Mexico,” according to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The U.S. citizens were taken after getting caught in the middle of a confrontation between groups, López Obrador said during his daily press conference on Monday.
The FBI is searching for the Americans, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said Sunday. The American citizens crossed into Matamoros, in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas just south of Brownsville, Texas, in a white minivan with North Carolina plates on Friday, the embassy said.
“Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen shot the passengers of the vehicle. The gunmen herded the four U.S. citizens into another vehicle and fled the scene with them,” according to the embassy.
The four Americans have been identified as Latavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams. According to their mother, McGee and her cousin Woodard were among the victims in Matamoros along with their friends Brown and Williams.
A North Carolina driver’s license belonging to Williams was also found at the scene, according to sources close to the Mexican investigation.
Barbara Burgess, 54, McGee’s mother, told ABC News that her daughter went to Mexico for a medical procedure and that before the trip, she warned her not to go, but McGee insisted that she would be OK.
On the day of the appointment, Burgess said McGee called to say she was 15 minutes away from the doctor’s office. Burgess called McGee later that day but never heard back, she said.
“Her phone just started going to voicemail,” she said.
An FBI agent visited Burgess on Friday morning to ask her if she recognized the driver, who has been identified as Williams.
She confirmed with the FBI agent that Williams was the person her daughter and nephew had been traveling with to Mexico.
“The entire” Mexican government “is there working on this,” López Obrador said.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that President Joe Biden is “aware and has been informed” of the four missing U.S. citizens.
The State Department, Department of Homeland Security and Mexican authorities are working together on the case, according to the White House.
“We are closely following the assault and kidnapping of four U.S. citizens in Matamoros, Mexico. These sorts of attacks are unacceptable,” Jean-Pierre said. “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,” she added.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price could share little more about the situation during an on-camera press briefing, but said Monday that the department is “closely following” the case.
“The FBI is working very closely with other federal partners and Mexican law enforcement agencies to investigate this,” he said. “We’re standing ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. We do also remind Americans about the existing travel guidance when it comes to this particular part of Mexico.”
In a statement on Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said that various U.S. law enforcement officials are working with Mexican authorities at every level of government “to secure the safe return” of the four kidnapped Americans.
“We have no greater priority than the safety of our citizens — this is the U.S. government’s most fundamental role,” Salazar said.
The FBI is now asking for the public’s help in identifying who might be responsible and is offering a $50,000 reward, the embassy said.
Anyone with information can contact the FBI’s San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741.
ABC News’ Anne Laurent, Teddy Grant and William Gretsky contributed to this report.
(MEXICO CITY) — The FBI is searching for four U.S. citizens who have been kidnapped in Mexico, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said Sunday.
The American citizens crossed into Matamoros, in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas just south of Brownsville, Texas, in a white minivan with North Carolina plates on Friday, the embassy said.
“Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen shot the passengers of the vehicle. The gunmen herded the four U.S. citizens into another vehicle and fled the scene with them,” according to the embassy.
The FBI is now asking for the public’s help in identifying who might be responsible and is offering a $50,000 reward, the embassy said.
Anyone with information can contact the FBI’s San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741.
