The Miami Herald and a person familiar with the matter said on Sunday that a group of Colombians and Haitian Americans suspected of assassinating Haitian President Jovenel Moise told investigators that they had come to arrest him. Not to kill him.
Moise was shot and killed at his home in Port-au-Prince earlier on Wednesday by what the Haitian authorities said was an assassin group consisting of 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans, which plunged the troubled Caribbean country into deeper politics. turmoil.
The murder and uncertainty about who orchestrated this conspiracy is the latest in a series of blows to this troubled country.
The United States rejected Haiti’s request to send troops, and the UN needs the Security Council’s authorization to send armed forces.
The Miami Herald quoted people who had spoken to some of the 19 suspects detained so far as saying that their mission was to arrest Moise and take him to the presidential palace.
A source close to the investigation said that two Haitian Americans, James Solages and Joseph Vincent, told investigators that they were translators for the Colombian commandos with arrest warrants. But when they arrived, they found that he was dead.
Haitian police did not respond to a request for comment.
Before the news came out, there were reports that some Colombians stated that they had gone to Haiti as security personnel, including working for Moise himself.
Photos and X-ray photos posted on social media over the weekend are said to be from Moise’s autopsy, showing that his body was covered with bullet holes, skull fractures and other fractures, highlighting the cruel nature of the attack.
Reuters could not independently confirm its authenticity.
Through social media, Haitians in parts of the capital Port-au-Prince plan to protest against Interim Prime Minister and Acting Head of State Claude Joseph this week.
Joseph’s right to lead the country was challenged by other high-level politicians, which could exacerbate the turmoil that swept the poorest countries in the Americas.
Meanwhile, former police officer Jimmy Cherizier, one of the Haitian gang leaders, said on Saturday that his men would take to the streets to protest the assassination.
Cherizier, the boss of the so-called G9 Nine Gang, said that the police and opposition politicians conspired with the “smelly bourgeoisie” to “sacrifice” Moise.
In recent months, gang violence in the capital has surged, thousands of people have been displaced and economic activity has been hampered.
