crime
Abduction of missionaries in Haiti – FBI engaged
Children stand in the courtyard of the Maison La Providence de Dieu orphanage. Photo: Odelyn Joseph / AP / dpa
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16 people from the USA and Canada were traveling in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince when they were kidnapped by an armed gang. Now the FBI has stepped in.
After the kidnapping of missionaries from the USA and Canada in Haiti, the US Federal Police FBI is also involved in the case.
“The FBI is part of the coordinated efforts of the US government to bring affected US citizens to safety,” said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki in Washington on Monday. The US embassy in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince is in contact with the local authorities and the families of the abductees. US President Joe Biden receives regular updates on the efforts of the State Department and the FBI.
The State Department confirmed on Sunday evening that 16 US citizens and one person from Canada were kidnapped in the Port-au-Prince region on Saturday. “The well-being and safety of US citizens abroad is one of the State Department’s top priorities,” it said in a statement.
The aid organization Christian Aid Ministries had previously stated that twelve adults and five children had been abducted by criminals. According to a report on television station CNN, the group was on their way from an orphanage in Croix des Bouquets on the eastern edge of Port-au-Prince to Titanyen, north of the Haitian capital, when they were abducted by members of an armed gang.
Haiti has been in chaos for years
Haiti, the poorest country on the American continent, has been plagued by political chaos and criminal violence for years. At the beginning of July, President Jovenel Moïse was shot in his residence, the background remains unclear to this day. The gang mischief scares residents and visitors alike.
The region where the missionaries were abducted is controlled by gang 400 Mawozo, reported the newspaper “Le Nouvelliste”, citing police circles. The gang abducted ten priests, nuns and family members of a clergyman in April. The abductees were later released.