The British ambassador to Mexico has been removed from his post after he pointed an assault rifle at a local embassy employee in a car, according to media reports and a video of the incident circulating online.
The video, shared on social media platform X, shows the career diplomat Jon Benjamin pointing the weapon at a person whose face has been blurred.
“In a context of daily killings in Mexico by drug dealers, he dares to joke,” a post accompanying the video reads.
The ambassador had been removed from his post after the incident which it said occurred on an official trip to the states of Durango and Sinaloa in April.
Israeli security services point finger at Netanyahu as they own up to errors over Hamas’s October 7th incursion
Turkey’s Erdogan makes risky bet on peace with Kurds
‘We’ll rest when we win’: No let-up for Ukraine’s medics and rescue teams as war with Russia grinds on
Trump-Starmer summit: British PM produces masterstroke of political theatre as he seeks to cement bromance
Mexico has long reeled from violence linked to the country’s warring drug cartels, with around 30,000 people murdered a year.
“We are aware of this incident and have taken appropriate action,” said a spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. - Agencies
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis