Masses flee homes in Haiti as gangs ratchet up violence amid political turmoil

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Masses of residents fled a running battle Thursday between gang members and police in one of the few neighborhoods of Haiti’s capital that hadn't already been fully taken over by gangs, as violence flared amid political turmoil.

Families frantically packed mattresses and furniture into cars and carried their belongings on their heads as they left the Solino neighborhood, one of a handful of areas in Port-au-Prince where a coalition of gangs, called Viv Ansanm, and police were locked in a violent firefight over the past several days.

“We barely made it out,” said 52-year-old Jean-Jean Pierre, who carrying his son in his arms as he fled the neighborhood with throngs of people. “I've lived here 40 years of my life and I've never seen it this bad.”

Violence has exploded in the capital since Sunday when Haiti's transitional council created to restore democratic order fired the interim prime minister amid political infighting. The Caribbean nation hasn't held an election since 2016, largely because of the gang violence.

Gangs like the Viv Ansanm coalition often seize on moments of political chaos to make power grabs like the one seen in Solino in recent days.

Gangs also largely shut down the country's main airport by shooting a number of planes, wounding one flight attendant on Monday. The United Nations said that it documented 20 armed clashes in Port-au-Prince in just one day. The U.N. estimates that gangs control 85% of the city.

A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police sent to subdue the gangs has been unable to quell the violence.

Pierre, the fleeing father, said he hasn't seen any presence of the U.N.-backed mission in his neighborhood, and that he and his family don't know where they'll go. Other residents said gang members had forced them from their homes and burned their belongings.

“These gangs are more powerful than the police,” Pierre said.

The country's new interim prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, has been largely silent about the violence since he was sworn in on Monday, but on Wednesday released a statement condemning the plane shootings. His office said that he ordered police to regain control of the airport and nearby areas.

Meanwhile, videos on social media have shown smoke rising up from the Solino area, as gunfire has echoed from the neighborhood's streets in recent days.

While it wasn’t immediately clear how many people were fleeing the violence in Solino, it appeared that much of the neighborhood was emptying out.

Residents said that gang members had killed a police officer who was known as a community leader fighting back against the gangs. That killing also was reported by local media, though The Associated Press wasn't able to confirm the death with authorities.

In October, the same gang coalition made a similar violent push into the Solino neighborhood, setting fire to homes and leaving many fleeing with all they could carry or calling radio stations to plead for help.

Megan Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Children sleep on the floor at a school where residents of the Nazon neighborhood displaced by gang violence have sought refuge, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Residents flee their homes to escape gang violence in the Nazon neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Residents flee their homes to escape gang violence in the Nazon neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

A motorcycle taxi driver crosses a barricade set up by residents, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

An asthmatic girl rests as she takes refuge in a private school serving as a shelter for residents fleeing gang violence in the Nazon neighborhood, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Residents flee their homes to escape gang violence in the Nazon neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Residents flee their homes to escape gang violence in the Nazon neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

The body of a man who was shot dead by a stray bullet, is secured to the floor of a tap-tap, in the Solino neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A CIA employee accused of leaking classified information assessing Israel's earlier plans to attack Iran was ordered by a federal judge Thursday to face felony charges in Virginia.

The FBI arrested Asif William Rahman this week in Cambodia, and he made his first court appearance Thursday in Guam. A judge there ordered that he be transferred to northern Virginia, where he was indicted last week on two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information.

Court documents do not identify the federal agency that employed him, but a person familiar with the case who was not authorized to discuss it publicly confirmed to The Associated Press that it was the CIA.

The indictment does not delve into the details of the allegations, but says Rahman had a top secret security clearance and access to sensitive compartmented information. It accuses him of having had unauthorized possession of top secret documents relating to national defense information and then illegally sharing them.

It was not immediately clear who will represent Rahman in Virginia and can speak on his behalf.

The charges stem from the documents, attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, appearing last month on a channel of the Telegram messaging app. The documents noted that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1.

Israel carried out a retaliatory attack on air defense systems and missile manufacturing facilities in Iran in late October.

The documents were shareable within the “Five Eyes,” which are the United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The emergence of the documents triggered an FBI investigation that examined how the documents were obtained — including whether it was an intentional leak by a member of the U.S. intelligence community or obtained by another method, like a hack — and whether any other intelligence information was compromised.

Officials also worked to determine who had access to the documents before they were posted.

FILE - The FBI's J. Edgar Hoover headquarters building is seen in Washington on Nov. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

FILE - The FBI seal is pictured in Omaha, Neb., Aug. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)