The remaining members of a U.S. missionary group who were kidnapped two months ago in Haiti have been freed, Haitian police and the church group said Thursday.
The spokesman for Haiti’s National Police, Gary Desrosiers, confirmed to The Associated Press that the hostages had been released, but did not immediately provide additional details.
“We glorify God for answered prayer — the remaining 12 hostages are FREE!” Christian Aid Ministries said in a statement. “All 17 of our loved ones are now safe.”
A convoy of at least a dozen vehicles, including U.S. Embassy SUVs and Haitian National Police, brought the missionaries to the Port-au-Prince airport late Thursday afternoon from the missionary group’s offices in Titanyen, north of the capital.
Earlier, people at the Christian Aid Ministries campus could be seen hugging each other and smiling.
The missionaries were kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang on Oct. 16. There were five children in the group of 16 U.S. citizens and one Canadian, including an 8-month-old. Their Haitian driver also was abducted, according to a local human rights organization.
The gang’s leader had threatened to kill the hostages unless his demands were met. Authorities have said 400 Mawozo was demanding $1 million per person, although it wasn’t clear if that included the children.
It remained unclear whether any ransom was paid or what efforts led to the hostages’ freedom.
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