US Says 2 Citizens Kidnapped in Haiti

Two U.S. citizens were kidnapped in Haiti, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said Thursday, adding that Washington is in regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them.

Patel declined to provide further details.

CNN reported last week that a Florida couple, Abigail and Jean-Dickens Toussaint, were kidnapped March 18 in Haiti and were being held captive under ransom demands.

The couple, in Haiti to visit family and to attend a festival, were kidnapped on their bus ride from Port-au-Prince, CNN reported, citing a woman claiming to be the victims' niece.

Gangs in Haiti have grown in strength since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, with large portions of the capital and much of the countryside considered lawless territory.

The security situation has devolved further in recent months with routine gun fights between police officers and the gangs. Bloody turf battles have left hundreds dead and thousands displaced.

Seventeen missionaries from the U.S. and Canada were taken hostage and held for ransom in 2021 while on a trip to Haiti organized by the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries. The group said ransom money was paid for the release of the captives, but a dozen had escaped on their own.