Kidnappers posing as police officers target victims in Haiti capital

Kidnappings posing as police officers are targeting victims in Haiti’s capital as ransom kidnappings soar in Port-au-Prince, prompting the U.S. Embassy to issue a new safety alert urging Americans to limit travel and avoid driving alone.

The embassy said there was an increase in kidnappings for ransom, especially in the Delmas region, and some attackers impersonated law enforcement officers to carry out the kidnappings.

U.S. officials have urged Americans to limit all unnecessary travel, avoid traveling alone and keep someone informed of their movements and expected return times.

In the announcement, which included the phrase “Do not drive alone”, it was reiterated that Haiti remained within the scope of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’s highest warning level, Level 4 – Do Not Travel advice.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for additional information on the matter.

The warning comes weeks after the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince notified U.S. citizens of ongoing security operations north and south of the compound and in Croix-des-Bouquets after heavy gunfire was heard in the capital.

The violence caused U.S. government personnel to halt all movements, according to the State Department, and authorities urged nearby American citizens to avoid the area and monitor local media for updates.

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Armed gangs control much of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, according to the Department of State and the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti.

Croix-des-Bouquets, one of the areas referenced in the latest warning, has long been considered a stronghold of the 400 Mawozo gang.

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As people flee their homes following violence by armed gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, members of the Haitian Armed Forces patrol the area. (REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol)

Joly Germine, 34, of Croix-des-Bouquets, was sentenced to life in prison for her role in the 2021 kidnapping of 16 American citizens, including five children, Fox News Digital previously reported.

According to the Department of Justice, the victims at Ohio-based Christian Relief Ministries were returning from an orphanage when they were taken hostage.

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The warnings underscore the worsening security crisis in Port-au-Prince, where heavily armed gangs control large swathes of the city and kidnappings have become a major source of revenue for criminal groups. Ransom kidnappings have plagued Haiti for years, often targeting business owners, aid workers and foreign nationals who can afford to pay.

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.