Police patrol the streets of Port-au-Prince amid rampant gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, April 23, 2024. (Reuters/Ralph Tedy Erol/File Photo)
Armed gangs control large portions of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, according to the State Department and the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti.
Croix-des-Bouquets, one of the areas referenced in the recent warning, has long been considered a stronghold of the 400 Mawozo gang.
STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUES SECURITY ALERT AMID ‘HEAVY GUNFIRE’ NEAR US EMBASSY IN HAITI
Members of the Haitian Armed Forces patrol the area as people flee homes after armed gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Reuters/Ralph Tedy Erol)
Joly Germine, 34, of Croix-des-Bouquets, was sentenced to life in prison in December for his role in the 2021 abduction of 16 American citizens, including five children, Fox News Digital previously reported.
The victims, with Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, were returning from an orphanage when they were taken hostage, according to the Justice Department.
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The alerts underscore the worsening security crisis in Port-au-Prince, where heavily armed gangs control large swaths of the city and kidnappings have become a major source of revenue for criminal groups. Ransom abductions have plagued Haiti for years, often targeting business owners, aid workers and foreign nationals perceived as able to pay.
Fox News Digital's Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.
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