Kidnapping Gang Releases More U.S. Hostages Held in Haiti
Kidnapping Gang Releases More U.S. Hostages Held in Haiti
(Bloomberg) -- Three of the 15 remaining North American missionaries taken hostage in Haiti in October were released Sunday night, according to their organization.
In a statement published on its website Monday, Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, said “those who were released are safe and seem to be in good spirits.”
The organization declined to provide their names, or any other details.
Sixteen U.S. citizens, one Canadian and their Haitian driver were kidnapped on Oct. 16 after visiting an orphanage on the outskirts of Haiti’s capital. The initial group included five children, including one who was eight-months old at the time of the abduction, the aid group said. Two of the hostages were released last month.
One of Haiti’s largest gangs, 400 Mawozo, has claimed responsibility and has asked for $1 million ransom for each of them, but it’s unclear if that also includes the children.
Haiti has been seized by gang violence that has paralyzed large areas of the country, and the unrest has escalated since President Jovenel Moise was murdered in his home July 7.
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