Remaining missionaries kidnapped in Haiti released by gang, says justice minister

Seventeen missionaries representing Christian Aid Ministries, including 16 Americans and one Canadian, were kidnapped by armed men on October 16 while driving through the suburb of Croix des Bouquets, just outside of the capital city Port-au-Prince. The group had been returning from visiting an orphanage and were headed back to their home base.Two of the missionaries were released on November 21. Two weeks later, three more hostages were released followed by the remaining 12 on Thursday morning.A source in Haiti’s security forces said the remaining hostages were released around 5 a.m. ET in the neighborhood of Morne Cabrit and were found by locals who alerted authorities. The gang that authorities said was responsible for the kidnappings, 400 Mawozo, initially demanded a ransom of $1 million per hostage, according to Haiti’s then justice minister. The circumstances surrounding the release were not immediately clear, including whether any ransom money was paid. This is a developing story — more to come