Diplomatic Tension After Kash Patel Claims FBI Captured Ryan Wedding; Mexico says drug lord has surrendered – The Times of India

Diplomatic tensions have arisen between the US and Mexico after FBI Director Kash Patel claimed his agents arrested drug lord Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympian, in Mexico. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said there was no US involvement and that Wedding essentially surrendered. She said she didn’t want to fight Patel about this, but Wedding turned herself in.The 44-year-old Canadian headed a large cocaine network and was on America’s most wanted list. After his arrest, he was transported to California, where he pleaded not guilty in federal court to seventeen felonies, including murder.

But the circumstances surrounding his arrest remain grainy, as the Mexican president cited a photo of Wedding allegedly standing outside the decommissioned US embassy building, which is believed to be an AI-generated image. When reporters pointed out that the image was fake, the president said there was no indication from social media companies that the photo was fake.“I’m not going to argue with the FBI director, nor do I want any conflict to arise,” Sheinbaum said. “What they, the American authorities, told the Mexican authorities is that it was a voluntary surrender.”

Who arrested Ryan Wedding?

Wedding agent Anthony Colombo told the Wall Street Journal that Wedding was handcuffed by FBI agents. Law enforcement contacted Wedding, who was believed to be armed at the time. Intense negotiations took place during which he was told that his associates had already been arrested and millions of dollars of his assets had been seized. Colombo said the FBI arrested Wedding in Mexico and that it is not true that he turned himself in.

Kash Patel was in Mexico, Sheinbaum is lying because…

U.S. officials said the FBI’s involvement was classified because foreign agents cannot have an official presence in Mexico and conduct an operation. But Wedding was arrested after U.S. and Mexican officials worked closely and Patel himself was in Mexico, they said.