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Remaining 12 Kidnapped Missionaries In Haiti Released

The kidnappers, part of a notorious gang, had demanded $1 million each for the 17 missionaries.

The 12 remaining missionaries kidnapped in October in Haiti were released on Thursday (Dec. 16), The New York Times reported, citing information from the Haitian national police.

They were part of a group of 17 missionaries and their children, comprised of one Canadian and 16 Americans, from a U.S. charity. Five of the hostages from the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries were previously released.

Haitian authorities did not say whether a ransom was paid for the newly freed hostages or their physical condition, according to the Times.

RELATED: Haitian Gang Leader Threatens To ‘Put A Bullet In The Heads’ Of Kidnapped American Missionaries

The head of a Haitian gang that officials accused of kidnapping the missionaries threatened to kill them if his demands weren’t met. According to a video that circulated online in October, Wilson Joseph, head of a gang identified as “400 Mawozo,” didn’t immediately say what his demands were or provide a deadline in the video.

“I prefer that thunder burns me, if I don’t get what I need. You see those Americans, I will prefer to kill them and I will unload a big weapon to each of their heads,” Joseph, said in the video, according to the Times. “I mean what I said, that’s it.”

Liszt Quitel, Haiti’s justice minister, told The Washington Post that the gang was seeking a $1 million ransom per person in exchange for their release, which was widely seen as a starting point in their negotiations.

Editor’s Note: This is a developing story.

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