A group of Canadian and American missionaries who were kidnapped in October by a gang in Haiti have been released, police spokesperson Garry Desrosiers told Reuters on Thursday.
Seventeen members of the group from Christian Aid Ministries were captured two months ago. Five had been freed in earlier releases.
The group confirmed the release on its website, posting a statement Thursday that said, “We glorify God for answered prayer — the remaining twelve hostages are FREE!”
The missionaries were kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang on Oct. 16. There were five children including an 8-month old in the group that included 16 U.S. citizens and one Canadian. Their Haitian driver also was abducted, according to a local human rights organization.
The leader of the 400 Mawozo gang had threatened to kill the hostages unless his demands were met. Authorities had said the gang was demanding $1 million per person, although it wasn’t immediately clear that included the children in the group.
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