“This case shows that the Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to track down anyone who kidnaps a U.S. citizen abroad,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. “We will utilize the full reach of our law enforcement authorities to hold accountable anyone responsible for undermining the safety of Americans anywhere in the world.”
The indictment was also intended to dissuade other groups from attacking Americans who were “volunteering their services” in Haiti and other poor countries, said the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew M. Graves, whose office is prosecuting the case.
Members of 400 Mawozo are known for their violent confrontations with other local gangs, but in this case, they did not seriously injure their captives, perhaps because they valued the volunteers as bargaining chips.
Two of the hostages were released in November, three more were freed in early December and the rest escaped about a week later, evading their pursuers by hiding in dense brush and using the stars to guide their route.
After they were released, the missionaries offered “forgiveness” to the gang members if they repented for their sins, according to a statement posted on the aid group’s website.
The ministry did not immediately return a request for comment late Tuesday.
Haiti’s gangs have rampaged, largely unchecked, since Mr. Moïse’s killing, controlling vast sections of the capital, countryside and major routes, including the main road leading to Ganthier.
The 400 Mawozo gang, which operates east of the capital, is one of Haiti’s most dangerous. It has been implicated in a range of crimes, like seizing Haitians and foreigners en masse from cars and buses. It is also believed to have killed a famous sculptor, according to local news accounts.