Dominican Republic is urged to stop deporting people to Haiti as people flee surge in gang violence

DAJABON, Dominican Republic — Human rights activists are calling on the Dominican Republic’s government for a temporary reprieve in deportations as neighboring Haiti’s crisis spirals and people attempt to flee over the closed border from a surge in deadly gang violence. Small trucks with customized cages are ferrying dozens of Haitians every day from a … Read more

Who is ‘Barbecue,’ Jimmy Chérizier, Haiti’s prominent gang leader

Jimmy Chérizier, the elite police officer-turned-gang leader known as “Barbecue,” has risen through Haiti’s political vacuum to become one of the country’s most powerful men. Chérizier — who got his nickname from his mother’s famous grilled chicken — has proved himself a savvy player of both traditional and social media and a charismatic leader who … Read more

Haiti extends a state of emergency and nighttime curfew to try and repel widespread gang attacks

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haiti’s government said Thursday that it was extending a state of emergency and nighttime curfew to try and curb violent gang attacks that have paralyzed the capital of Port-au-Prince in a fierce battle for political power. An initial three-day curfew was announced over the weekend, but gangs have continued to attack police … Read more

Haiti Prime Minister to Return Home to Quell Gang Violence

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — It’s the one question on the minds of all Haitians ever since armed gangs plunged the long-suffering Caribbean nation into near anarchy: Where in the world is Prime Minister Ariel Henry? The embattled leader, who assumed power following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, has been notably absent since the … Read more

Haitian prime minister lands in Haiti as he tries to return home to quell gang violence

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haiti’s embattled prime minister landed in Puerto Rico on Tuesday as he tried to return to Haiti to quell a surge in violent gang attacks, officials said. Officials told The Associated Press that Ariel Henry landed late in the afternoon at the Luiz Muñoz Marín International Airport in the capital of San … Read more

Haitian police spokesman says new gang attacks overwhelmed officers: ‘The city center was at war’

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haitian police were overwhelmed by a series of coordinated violent attacks by gang members across the capital in which four officers were killed, a national police spokesman said Friday. The attacks Thursday in Port-au-Prince were led by gunmen who opened fire on targets including Haiti’s international airport and seized control of two … Read more

Gunfire paralyzes Haiti as powerful gang leader says he will try to detain police chief, ministers

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Heavy gunfire paralyzed Haiti’s capital Thursday, and at least four police officers were slain, as a powerful gang leader announced that he would try to capture the country’s police chief and government ministers. The move came during the absence of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is in Kenya trying to finalize details … Read more

Mexican police confirm grisly gang video showing bodies kicked, burned and shot

MEXICO CITY — Investigators in Mexico said they have largely confirmed the contents of a grisly drug cartel video showing gunmen shooting, kicking and burning the corpses of their enemies. In a country where videos of decapitations and executions have appeared on social media before, the video released Tuesday was still chilling. A squad of … Read more

The Notorious Lockbit Ransomware Gang Has Been Disrupted by Law Enforcement

For the past four years, the LockBit ransomware group has been on an unrelenting rampage, hacking into thousands of businesses, schools, medical facilities, and governments around the world—and making millions in the process. A children’s hospital, Boeing, the UK’s Royal Mail, and sandwich chain Subway have all been recent victims. But LockBit’s hacking campaign has … Read more