Gang with past abductions blamed for kidnapping missionaries

By DÁNICA COTO and EVENS SANON
Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A notorious Haitian gang known for brazen kidnappings and killings has been accused by police of abducting 17 missionaries from a U.S.-based organization. Five children were believed to be among those kidnapped. Haitian police said Sunday that the 400 Mawozo gang kidnapped the group in Ganthier, a commune that lies east of the capital of Port-au-Prince. The gang’s name roughly translates to 400 “inexperienced men.” It controls the Croix-des-Bouquets area that includes Ganthier, where authorities say gang members carry out kidnappings and carjackings and extort business owners. Haiti is once again struggling with a spike in gang-related kidnappings that had diminished in recent months.