US charges Haitian gang leader Izo with hostage taking of a US citizen

(Reuters) -Prosecutors in the United States have charged powerful Haitian gang leader Johnson Andre, known as Izo, with taking a U.S. citizen hostage in Haiti, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington released on Tuesday.

Andre is the suspected leader of the 5 Segond gang, which according to the unsealed criminal complaint participates in kidnappings for ransom and robberies while using the proceeds to pay for weapons and members' salaries.

In recent years, Haiti's violent gangs have significantly expanded their control over territory in the Caribbean island nation, especially in the capital, Port-au-Prince, amid a prolonged security crisis marked by frequent shootouts that have caught thousands of civilians in the crossfire.

U.S. prosecutors say that on March 18, 2023, suspected armed gang members forced a U.S. citizen into a vehicle, then moved the person to Village de Dieu, outside the capital.

The complaint claims that the kidnapped individual was held for nine days, beaten and burned with hot plastic, and that Andre personally negotiated a ransom with the person's family.

The U.S. citizen was released after an undisclosed ransom was paid, according to the statement.

(Reporting by Reuters staff. Editing by Gerry Doyle)