Gunmen kill American in Haiti

Gunmen in Haiti have shot and killed a US citizen - the second to be killed in the past two weeks.

Five attackers opened fire on Alejandro Morales, 31, on Tuesday as he was driving north of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

A bullet penetrated his shoulder and lodged in a lung, said a spokeswoman for his employer, Haytian Tractor.

Mr Morales, a native of Colombia, had been in Haiti for two years working as a mechanic for the a construction and machinery company.

His wife and infant live in Miami, the Haiti-based company said.

A passenger in Morales' vehicle was also was wounded in the attack, which is thought to have been an attempted robbery. Taking the wheel, he drove to a nearby clinic where Morales later died. The unidentified gunmen fled.

The US embassy has declined to confirm Morales' death because of the US Privacy Act. Police could not immediately be reached for comment.

On March 23, an unidentified gunman shot and killed Maureen Nielson, 33, after she left a bank in Port-au-Prince, US officials said. Nielson, a missionary from Rochester, New York, had been working at an orphanage.

Although violent crime is common in Haiti, attacks on foreign nationals have been relatively rare until this year.

The US State Department has warned US citizens against traveling to Haiti due to the "unstable security situation." A recent advisory said "violent crime is on the rise throughout the country".