Abducted Mexican border city mayor found alive

Miguel Angel Almaraz, mayor of the Mexican border city of Rio Bravo, was found alive hours after being abducted in the northern Mexican state of Zacatecas, notorious for violence.

While travelling with family and friends on Saturday, armed men stopped his vehicle in an area between the states of Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi and took only him away, releasing the others. Relatives reached a nearby town and informed the state security department. The kidnappers themselves released him on Sunday, federal officials said.

Rio Bravo, home to about 110,000 people, is in the state of Tamaulipas, 11 kilometres from the US state of Texas. Almaraz, of the conservative National Action Party, was released in 2015 after six years in prison on money laundering charges.

It is still not clear why he was abducted. Officials said an investigation is under way, including into who is involved.

Zacatecas is known for the activities of drug gangs such as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel; both groups are accused of attacking civilians and politicians. Last August a car bomb exploded outside the municipal police headquarters in the state's Ojo Caliente, injuring 11 people and damaging about 30 homes.