Sixty-one-year-old Jon Benjamin, British Ambassador to Mexico, was dismissed after pointing an assault rifle at an embassy employee in the car during an official visit to Durango and Sinaloa in April. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are aware of the incidents and have taken the necessary action.”

The footage, which spread rapidly on social media, was shared with the statement: “He dares to make a joke in a context where drug dealers commit murder every day in Mexico.”

Mexico is struggling with violence caused by drug cartels, which cause the deaths of approximately 30,000 people every year.