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The gang leader who kidnapped 17 missionaries in Haiti threatens to kill them if their requests are not met

2021-10-22T12:53:21.204Z


The gang claims a million dollars for each person abducted. "I swear by the thunder that if they do not give me what I ask for, I will put a bullet in the heads of these Americans," warned the criminal leader in a video posted on social networks.


By Phil Helsel -

NBC News

The leader of a Haitian gang accused of kidnapping 17 missionaries has threatened to kill them if his demands are not met, a new video apparently recorded on Wednesday shows.

The 400 Mawozo gang, which controls the Ganthier commune in the Port-au-Prince suburb where the missionaries were kidnapped on Saturday, is demanding $ 1 million per hostage, according to the country's justice minister.

[The Haitian gang demands a ransom of $ 17 million for the kidnapped missionaries]

"I swear by the thunder that if they don't give me what I ask for, I will put a bullet in the heads of these Americans," he said in the video, according to The Associated Press news agency.

He also threatened Prime Minister Ariel Henry and National Police Chief Léon Charles by speaking in front of several coffins in which allegedly recently killed members of his gang were lying.

“You make me cry.

I cry water.

But I'm going to make them cry blood, "he said.

A US State Department official confirmed that the video, which has been circulating on social media, appears to be legitimate.

Christian Aid Ministries, an Ohio-based nonprofit, said Thursday that it was aware of the Facebook video that appears to show members of the gang who kidnapped their employees.

[Who is hiding behind 400 Mawozo, the dangerous gang that has kidnapped American missionaries in Haiti]

"We will not comment on the images until those directly involved in securing the release of the hostages have determined that the comments will not endanger the safety and well-being of our staff and their family members," the organization said. Christian Aid Ministries.

The families of the hostages asked in a statement that prayers be prayed for the safe return of the hostages and said they were praying for the gang members.


The kidnapping of missionaries in Haiti marks the end of the truce between criminal gangs

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Christian Aid Ministries noted that the families come from Amish, Mennonite and other Anabaptist communities in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Ontario.

The kidnapped missionaries are five children between the ages of 8 months and 15 years and 12 adults, according to the group.

Haiti was already one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere when its president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in July.

A devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake shook the country in August, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing thousands more.

[A video shows the alleged command that assassinated the president of Haiti at his residence]

Demonstrations have taken place in Haiti over the existing conditions, and on Monday Haitians held a general strike in Port-au-Prince to protest the widespread violence and the devastated economy of the country.

Christian Aid Ministries reported that the group's work in Haiti includes supplying medicines to clinics, teaching Haitian pastors and, most recently, coordinating a reconstruction project for Haitians who lost their homes in the July earthquake. .

The FBI is collaborating with the State Department to try to free the hostages.

A State Department official said his goal is your safety.

The Center for Analysis and Research of Human Rights, a Haitian non-profit group, indicated that it has registered at least 628 kidnappings since January, 29 of them of foreign citizens.

The number of incidents increased 300% in September compared to July, according to the agency.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-10-22

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