Haiti: ‘I’m going to shoot these Americans in the heads’ – gang leader behind kidnapping demands ransom video | world News

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A Haitian gang leader threatened to kill 17 kidnapped American and Canadian missionaries if he did not get the millions in ransom money.

In a video posted to YouTube, the leader of the 400 Mauzu gang that kidnapped the group said, “I swear by thunder that if I don’t get what I ask for, I will put a bullet in the heads of these Americans…”

Wilson Joseph, who was dressed in a blue suit, wore a blue beret and wore a large cross around his neck, also threatened Prime Minister Ariel Henry and the head of Haiti’s national police.

Photo: An aerial view of the headquarters of the Christian Aid Ministries in Titanian, Haiti. Pic: AP

Speaking in front of the open coffins that apparently contained several of his recently killed gang members, he said, “You guys make me cry. I cry with water. But I will make you guys cry blood.”

There was no immediate comment from Henry or the national police chief, but on Thursday afternoon the president announced that current national police chief Leon Charles had resigned and had been replaced by Brantz Elbe.

“We would like to restore public peace, to return to normal life and to restore our way to democracy,” said Mr. Henry.

Earlier this week, authorities said the gang was demanding $1m (£720,000) for each person abducted, but it was not immediately clear if this included the five children in the group, one of whom was eight months old.

The kidnapped group of Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries consisted of 16 Americans and one Canadian.

Photo: Christian Aid Ministries called on the public to pray for those affected by the kidnapping. Pic: AP

They were kidnapped in Croix-des-Bouquets over the weekend – about eight miles outside the capital, Port-au-Prince – with their Haitian driver.

Before the video was released, Weston Showalter, a spokesperson for the Christian Aid Department, said at a news conference that missionary families from Amish, Mennonites and other conservative communities in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Ontario, Canada.

In a letter he read aloud from the families, they said, “God has given our loved ones a unique opportunity to live by the command of our Lord in the love of your enemies.”

Photo: Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, and an upsurge in gang violence has displaced thousands of people. Pic file: AP

He called on the public to join the congregation in praying for the kidnappers and the targets, adding: “Pray for these families. They are in a difficult place.”

The Christian Aid Department later said it would not comment on the video “until those directly involved in obtaining the hostages’ release have determined that the comments will not jeopardize the safety and well-being of our employees and members of our families.”

The number of women and children abducted in Haiti in the first eight months of this year has exceeded the total for the whole of last year, according to UNICEF.

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