US issues Haiti travel advisory after 4 Americans killed in separate muggings

US issues Haiti travel alert after Americans slain

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The U.S. Embassy is advising travelers to exercise caution in Haiti after four U.S. citizens were killed in separate robberies near Port-au-Prince’s airport.

All those killed were visiting relatives in Haiti, embassy officials told The Associated Press on Monday. The attacks occurred over three months and in three different locations.

The warning comes as scores of Americans are streaming in to provide post-earthquake aid and help with reconstruction. It says authorities believe criminals may be targeting travelers arriving from the United States and advises caution in arranging transport from the airport.

Haitian police spokesman Frantz Lerebours said he had no information about the attacks.

Some worry the warning could hamper efforts to court investment to rebuild Haiti’s once-viable tourism sector in hopes of reviving the impoverished country’s moribund economy.

Crime rates are high across the Caribbean, including countries still known as tourism hotspots. Jamaica has the region’s highest murder rate; this month the U.S. Embassy in Kingston advised visitors to be on alert for gang violence there.