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Kidnappers posing as police officers are targeting victims in Haiti’s capital as ransom abductions spike in Port-au-Prince, prompting the U.S. Embassy to issue a fresh security warning urging Americans to limit travel and avoid driving alone.
The embassy said there has been an increase in reported kidnappings for ransom, particularly in the Delmas area, with some assailants impersonating law enforcement to carry out abductions.
U.S. officials urged Americans to limit all unnecessary travel, avoid traveling alone and inform someone of their movements and expected return times.
“Do not drive alone,” the notice stated, reiterating that Haiti remains under a Level 4 – Do Not Travel advisory, the State Department’s highest warning level.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for additional information on the matter.
The warning comes weeks after the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince notified U.S. citizens of ongoing security operations north and south of the compound and in Croix-des-Bouquets after heavy gunfire was reported in the capital.
The violence prompted U.S. government personnel to halt all movements, according to the State Department, and officials urged nearby American citizens to avoid the area and monitor local media for updates.
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Police patrol the streets of Port-au-Prince amid rampant gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, April 23, 2024. (REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/File Photo)
Armed gangs control large portions of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, according to the State Department and the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti.
Croix-des-Bouquets, one of the areas referenced in the recent warning, has long been considered a stronghold of the 400 Mawozo gang.
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Members of the Haitian Armed Forces patrol the area as people flee homes following armed gangs violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol)
Joly Germine, 34, of Croix-des-Bouquets, was sentenced to life in prison in December for his role in the 2021 abduction of 16 American citizens, including five children, Fox News Digital previously reported.
The victims, with Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, were returning from an orphanage when they were taken hostage, according to the Justice Department.
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The alerts underscore the worsening security crisis in Port-au-Prince, where heavily armed gangs control large swaths of the city and kidnappings have become a major source of revenue for criminal groups. Ransom abductions have plagued Haiti for years, often targeting business owners, aid workers and foreign nationals perceived as able to pay.
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
