LONDON (AP) — Britain’s ambassador to Mexico has resigned after a video was posted on social media that allegedly showed him pointing an assault rifle near a colleague.
of Financial Times Reports on Friday said John Benjamin was traveling in Sinaloa and Durango, two northern Mexican states where drug cartels have a strong influence, when the incident occurred.
A video posted to the social media platform “X” shows a man resembling Benjamin sitting in the front seat of a car, grabbing what appears to be a rifle and pointing it at the back seat. The five-second video was posted by an anonymous user with the message, “Drug dealers are killing people every day in Mexico and he’s joking.”
The British ambassador to Mexico has resigned after a video was published online that appears to show him pointing an assault rifle at Mexican embassy staff.
The video shared on X shows Jon Benjamin pointing a gun at a person whose face is blurred.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 1, 2024
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has not officially announced the change of embassy office in Mexico City, but the office’s website lists him as a former ambassador.
“We are aware of this incident and are taking appropriate action,” the Foreign Office said in a statement responding to questions about the reported incident. “Where internal issues arise, the FCDO has robust personnel processes in place to deal with them.”
Rachel Brazier has served as the embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires since April, a position in which a diplomat acts as the embassy’s minister in the ambassador’s absence.
