British ambassador to Mexico apparently no longer in post after pointing rifle at staff

The British Foreign Ministry apparently dismissed its ambassador to Mexico, Jon Benjamin, after controversy generated by a video in which he jokes while pointing a high-powered rifle at staff inside a vehicle.

MEXICO CITY — The British Foreign Ministry apparently dismissed its ambassador to Mexico, Jon Benjamin, after controversy generated by a video in which he jokes while pointing a high-powered rifle at staff inside a vehicle.

The UK government website on Friday described the experienced diplomat as its ambassador to Mexico in the past tense, although no details were given. Benjamín’s official biography on the government website says that he “served as ambassador to Mexico from 2021 to 2024,” without further details.

When asked by The Associated Press about Benjamin and the video, a government statement said: “We are aware of this incident and have taken appropriate action. “When internal issues arise, the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) has robust HR processes in place to address them.”

In the video, supposedly taken during a trip by Benjamín to the state of Durango, in northern Mexico, the diplomat is seen, sitting in the front passenger seat, holding what appears to be an assault rifle and smilingly pointing it at his colleagues. in the back seat.

The video appears to have been recorded with a mobile phone. Laughter is heard in the background and the person they are pointing at makes a surprised gesture.

Benjamin is a 35-year-old career diplomat who ran the Diplomatic Academy in London and was responsible for designing a program to teach “the diplomatic and linguistic skills necessary to implement the UK’s foreign policy”.

Before serving in Mexico, he represented the United Kingdom in Chile, Ghana, Turkey, Indonesia and the United States.