Kidnapping Expert Kidnapped in Mexico

Things keep getting worse in Mexico, where an American kidnapping expert has been kidnapped. Felix Batista, a hostage negotiator who has helped secure the release of scores of kidnapping victims in Latin America, was shoved into a white SUV outside the upscale El Principal restaurant in Saltillo, the capital of the border state Coahuila. The former U.S. Army Intelligence officer and consultant for Houston's ASI Global was in Saltillo, a relatively peaceful industrial city, to present lectures about kidnapping and its prevention. ASI Global President Charlie LeBlanc said Batista was in Mexico not for the company, but presenting lectures on his own. "We have notified the FBI and Mexican authorities, and they are working the case," LeBlanc said. He added that "ASI and Felix's family are working with friends and associates of Felix and the appropriate authorities to secure his release." Authorities would not say if a ransom demand had been made.