The investigation into the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse has led the police to believe that not just foreigners, but Haitians were also involved in the crime. A commando unit has been identified comprising of 26 Colombians and two US-Haitians.
At a Press conference on Thursday, police chief Charles Leon paraded 17 of the accused in front of journalists. Three of the remaining were killed by the police and eight are still on the run. The police are still trying to find out the mastermind behind the attack.
Foreigners came to our country to kill the President. There were 26 Colombians, as identified by their passports, and two Haitian-Americans as well.Police Chief Charles Leon at the Conference
The Colombian defense ministry has assured cooperation from their end and identified the Colombian accused as former members of the military.
The US State Department has neither confirmed not denied the involvement of American citizens. However, they have been in close contact with the Haitian authorities to provide assistance. Haiti’s minister of elections and inter-party relations, Mathias Pierre, identified the Haitian-American suspects as James Solages, 35, and Joseph Vincent, 55, The Guardian reported.
The assailants were tracked down at the Taiwan embassy close to the residence of the late President. Eleven suspects were arrested soon after the Police launched an operation with the cooperation of the Taiwanese foreign officials. The accused had broken into the embassy.
The Assassination
The incident took place around 1am on Wednesday, 7 July. The 53-year-old President was attacked by gunmen in an overnight raid at his residence in the hills above Port-au-Prince. He was shot 12 times before he succumbed. His wife was wounded in the incident. The First Lady was evacuated to Miami where she is reported to be in a stable condition.
The Haitian embassy in Canada was among the firsts to break the news of the President's death.
photo credits: twitter/EmbHaiti_ca
The police found the President’s office and bedroom ransacked and reports suggested that the attackers tied up the staffers and one of the President's three children.
Moïse was a banana exporter before taking office in 2017. He was facing mass protests amid calls to resign from his post – first over corruption allegations and his 'mismanagement' of the economy and then over his increasing grip on power, The Guardian reported. The people are confused, they do not have a Head of State, two prime ministers are at loggerheads, and the uncertainty following the President's killing has caused unrest in the Caribbean country.
(With inputs from the Guardian)
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