According to a source, the gang that kidnapped a group of American and Canadian Christian missionaries in Haiti last weekend demands $17 million in ransom.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Haitian Justice Minister Liszt Quitel has requested $1 million per gang.

Christian Aid Ministries, based in Ohio, revealed on Sunday that 17 missionaries were kidnapped by a Haitian gang while visiting an orphanage on Saturday. There are 16 Americans and one Canadian in the group. Five of them are minors.

According to Haitian officials, the 400 Mawozo gangs, located in Port-au-Prince, have been identified as the group responsible for the kidnappings.

The FBI is aggressively seeking to rescue the missionaries, according to the White House.

"We are attempting to free them without paying a ransom," Quitel told the Journal, adding that if the ransom is paid, "the money will be used for more guns and munitions."

According to Quitel, the same organization abducted a group of Catholic priests and nuns in April, and officials are hoping for a similar conclusion.

After the month, the group rescued five priests, two nuns, and three of their relatives, and two priests were ransomed, according to Quitel.

He stated, "That would be the best outcome,"