UK ambassador to Mexico out after video allegedly shows him pointing a rifle near a colleague

LONDON (AP) — The UK’s ambassador to Mexico has left his post after a video was posted on social media that purportedly shows him pointing an assault rifle near a colleague.

The Financial Times reported Friday that Jon Benjamin was traveling in Sinaloa and Durango, two states in northern Mexico where drug cartels have a significant presence, when the incident occurred. The video posted on the social media platform X shows a man who looks like Benjamin seated in the front seat of a vehicle, when he picks up the supposed rifle and points it at the back seat. The five-second clip was posted by an anonymous user along with the message, “In a context of daily killings in Mexico by drug dealers, he dares to joke.”

While the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office hasn’t officially announced any changes at the embassy in Mexico City, the FCDO website lists him as a former ambassador.