James Boyard, the chief of staff of the Haitian Defense Ministry, has been kidnapped along with his family amid escalating gang violence, media reports claimed on Saturday.
Boyard, a respected security expert and author, serves as chief of staff to Haiti’s newly appointed defense minister, Mario Andresol, and as inspector general of the national police.
Local media reported that unidentified armed men snatched Boyard on Thursday in Bourdon, one of the few areas of the capital, Port-au-Prince, still considered relatively safe, though most of the city is controlled by gangs. A person familiar with the situation confirmed the kidnapping to AP.
Police sources told the New York Times that Boyard was abducted along with his wife and six-year-old daughter, a US citizen, and that a ransom was demanded. While it remains unclear who carried out the kidnapping, investigators reportedly suspect Christ-Roi Chery, known as Chrisla, the leader of the Ti Bwa gang, a major armed group. A spokesman for the Haitian police declined to comment on the case.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: rt.com
