Haitian gang seeks $1M each for kidnapped missionaries
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A gang that kidnapped 17 members of a U.s.-based missionary group is demanding $1 million ransom per person, although authorities are not clear whether that includes the five children being held, a Haitian official said Tuesday.
The official, who wasn’t authorized to speak to the media, said someone from the 400 Mawozo gang called a ministry leader after kidnapping the missionaries on Saturday and demanded the ransom. A person in contact with the organization, Christian Aid Ministries, also confirmed the $1 million per person demand, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. That source spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
The ages of the adults being held captive range from 18 to 48, and the children are 8 months, 3 years, 6 years, 13 years and 15 years, according to a statement from the organization on Tuesday. Sixteen of the abductees are Americans and one Canadian.
“This group of workers has been committed to minister throughout poverty-stricken Haiti,” the Ohiobased ministry said, adding that the missionaries were working on a rebuilding project to help those who lost their homes in the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck on Aug. 14.
The group was returning from visiting an orphanage when they were abducted, the organization said.
A recent wave of kidnappings prompted a protest strike that shuttered businesses, schools and public transportation starting Monday. Unions and other groups vowed to continue the shutdown indefinitely as a fuel shortage worsened, with businesses blaming gangs for blocking roads and gas distribution terminals.
In Washington, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that “the FBI is a part of a coordinated U.S. government effort to get the U.S. citizens involved to safety,” with the American Embassy in Port au Prince coordinating with officials and families of those seized.