Manhunt underway after 8 Turks kidnapped in Haiti

Robert Besser
13 May 2022, 03:35 GMT+10

Eight Turkish citizens were kidnapped this week in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, becoming the latest in a series of high-profile kidnappings by gangs
Hugues Josue, Turkey's honorary consul in Haiti, said he did not have any details on a potential ransom request
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters that the government was following the issue closely, and a crisis desk had been set up in Haiti

A Turkish official has told the Associated Press that eight Turkish citizens were kidnapped this week in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, becoming the latest in a series of high-profile kidnappings by gangs.

Hugues Josue, Turkey's honorary consul in Haiti, said the Turkish group of five men and three women had boarded a bus in the neighboring Dominican Republic and were kidnapped on May 8 in the Croix-des-Bouquets neighborhood of Port-au-Prince.

Josue added that he did not have any details on a potential ransom request.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters that the government was following the issue closely, and a crisis desk had been set up in Haiti.

"They are thought to have been kidnapped for ransom. There is no news concerning the state of their health at the moment," he added.

Croix-des-Bouquets is controlled by the 400 Mawozo gang that kidnapped 17 members of a U.S.-based missionary group in the same area in October, demanding $1 million in ransom.

Earlier this month, a diplomat from the Dominican Republic was also kidnapped in the same neighborhood, but was later released.

Haiti's National Police announced that one of the top leaders of the 400 Mawozo gang, Germine Joly, has been extradited to the U.S. to faces charges of kidnapping, smuggling and importing weapons of war.

In recent weeks, gang violence has displaced thousands of families and forced dozens of schools and businesses to close.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has announced that at least 75 people have been killed in the most recent gang clashes in Haiti, including women and children, and more than 65 injured.
(GSR photo / Chris Herlinger)

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Europe Sun.

More Information

20 ℃

Mostly Cloudy in Istanbul/Ataturk

International

Section

US to get tough as drone disrupts Pittsburgh airport

WASHINGTON D.C.: The Federal Aviation Administration has said that a drone sighting disrupted some flights at Pittsburgh International Airport this ...

New Oregon gun law being challenged in court case

PORTLAND, Oregon: A federal trial has begun in Portland, Oregon examining the constitutionality of a stringent gun control law approved ...

After removing Columbus statue, Philadelphia sued for return

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and members of the city's historical commission have been sued by a group which ...

Area evacuated as wildfire burns thru Michigan

LANSING, Michigan: Michigan's Department of Natural Resources said by a wildfire in the state has burned through more than 3 ...

Official: airlines industry acting to prevent cancellations

ISTANBUL, Turkey: In an interview with Reuters, Willie Walsh, director-general of the International Air Transport Association, (IATA), said airlines are ...

Protesting Texans send migrants to California

SACRAMENTO, California: Sixteen migrants from Venezuela and Colombia, who had entered the United States through Texas, were transported to California ...