Political | Process

A U.S. State Department official said the video, which has been circulating on social media, appears to be legitimate.

• Christian Aid Ministries, an Ohio-based nonprofit organization, said Thursday that it was aware of the Facebook video appearing to show members of the gang that kidnapped its staff members.

• “We will not comment on the video until those directly involved in obtaining the release of the hostages have determined that comments will not jeopardize the safety and well-being of our staff and family members,” Christian Aid Ministries said.

• The families of the hostages asked in a statement for prayers for the hostages’ safe return and said they were praying for the gang members.

• Christian Aid Ministries described the families as being from Amish, Mennonite and other Anabaptist communities in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Ontario. The kidnapped missionaries are five children 8 months to 15 years old and 12 adults, the group has said.

• Haiti was already one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere when its president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in July. A devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake then struck the country in August, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing thousands more.

SOURCE: NBCNEWS