An armed gang opened fire on an armored U.S. Embassy van in Port-au-Prince on Monday, wounding an employee, sources confirmed to the Miami Herald.
The employee, who works as a gardener in the embassy’s housing complex, was reportedly on his way to work with other employees. He was immediately transported to a medical facility, where he was in stable condition.
The gang, armed with rifles powerful enough to pierce an armored vehicle, is believed to have attacked from an alleyway along a winding dirt road between the embassy and the housing compound that isn’t always visible even when security measures are taken.
The U.S. State Department could not immediately provide comment.
This is the second time in three months that armed groups have targeted U.S. Embassy assets in the country. In October, gangs shot at two of the embassy’s armored vehicles, including one belonging to the chief of the mission. One of the vehicles had a window and its windshield shattered by the bullets. At the time, the U.S. ambassador said the attack, which didn’t injure anyone, was a reaction to a change in Haitian police’s anti-gang operations. After the attack, the embassy evacuated some of its nonessential diplomatic staff.