2 US Embassy staffers killed in Mexico car accident were working for CIA: US official
The two United States Embassy personnel who were killed in a car accident in Mexico were working for the CIA on counternarcotics operations with Mexican authorities, according to a U.S. official and another source familiar with the matter.
The circumstances surrounding their death are still under review, the official added.
The CIA has not publicly commented on the deaths.
The two Americans were among four people killed while returning from an operation targeting drug labs over the weekend, Mexican officials said.
The incident occurred in the state of Chihuahua, when a vehicle carrying the two U.S Embassy staffers and two Mexican officials with the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency fell into a ravine, according to the Chihuahua State Attorney General's Office.
The four officials were returning from an operation to "destroy clandestine laboratories" in a remote area of Morelos at the time, and were leading a five-vehicle convoy, the office said.
The two U.S. Embassy employees were training officers who had been "carrying out training activities as part of the regular and ongoing cooperation with U.S. authorities," the office said. Their names have not been released.
The director of the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency and a member of that agency also died, Mexican officials said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said during a news briefing Tuesday that Mexican authorities are investigating what the two American embassy personnel "were doing and which agency they belonged to," in response to a reporter's question on reports that they were affiliated with the CIA.
"So far, the information we have is that they were indeed working jointly, so to speak," Sheinbaum said Tuesday. "Therefore, a full investigation must be carried out by the prosecutor's office to determine whether the Constitution or the National Security Law was violated, and for the authorities in the state of Chihuahua to provide accurate information."
On Monday, Sheinbaum said her office is looking into the operation, which she said had not gotten required approval from the Mexican government.
The president said she is seeking to "understand why this situation occurred" and determine if there were any National Security Law violations. She noted that any collaboration with the U.S. at the state level requires prior authorization from the federal government, but that her government had "no knowledge of any direct work between the state of Chihuahua and personnel from the United States Embassy in Mexico."
"Therefore, we are requesting full information from both the government of Chihuahua and the government of the United States, and we are reviewing whether there may have been any violation of the National Security Law, as this is an important matter," she said.
"We have made it clear, and we have stated this before, that there is collaboration and coordination, but there are no joint operations on the ground or in the air. There are no joint operations," she said.
Sheinbaum said her office is in contact with the U.S. Embassy and expressed condolences for the lives lost in the incident.
"We deeply regret this accident in which lives were lost, and they have the full solidarity and support of the Government of Mexico," she said.
When reached for comment, the State Department referred to a statement from the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, which said in part, "This tragedy is a solemn reminder of the risks faced by Mexican and U.S. officials dedicated to protecting our communities, and it strengthens our determination to continue their mission and advance our shared commitment to security and justice, to protect our people."
ABC News' Luke Barr and Shannon K. Kingston contributed to this report.
