Haiti police say foreign hit squad assassinated president

While Haiti’s prime minister has claimed to be in power of the country now, his replacement, named by Moise before his death says country can not have two prime ministers

Security forces member exchange gunfire with armed men next to the Petionville police station in Port-au-Prince (AFP via Getty Images)

Haitian police have claimed a 28 member hit squad made up of foreigners, mostly from Colombia and America, assassinated President Jovenel Moise, as the killing plunged the Caribbean country in further political unrest.

“It was a team of 28 assailants, 26 of whom were Colombian, who carried out the operation to assassinate the president,” the head of Haiti’s National Police, Leon Charles, said at a press conference in Port-au-Prince.

The police chief added that eight assassins were still at large, as he vowed to catch them.

“We have arrested 15 Colombians and the two Americans of Haitian origin. Three Colombians have been killed while eight others are on the loose” he said. Previously authorities informed media that four of the suspects had been killed, while two were arrested.

Video has emerged of one of the attackers, with an American accent, shouting “This is a DEA (US Drug Enforcement) operation!” at the time of the attack.

The DEA has an office in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, but Department of State spokesman Ned Price denied the US had any involvement in the murder.

Haitian police also paraded some of the suspects before the media on Thursday, along with Colombian passports and weapons they had seized.

Eleven of the suspects were arrested from Taiwan’s embassy grounds, the country’s authorities confirmed, after Haitian security discovered a group of armed men had broken into the courtyard of the property that had been closed “for safety reasons” after President Moise’s murder.

Joanne Ou, a spokeswoman for Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the embassy gave permission to Haitian police to enter the grounds. “The process went smoothly,” Taiwan’s embassy in Port-au-Prince said in a statement, describing Moise’s assassination as “cruel and barbaric.”

Colombia’s defence minister Diego Molano said he had ordered the army and police to help with the investigation, confirming that at least six members of the hit squad appeared to be Colombian ex-soldiers.

Authorities have not confirmed the identities of the two Americans of Haitian origin. However, earlier reports quoted officials who claimed the killers spoke English and Spanish. Haiti’s ambassador to Washington, Bocchit Edmond, later said the killers were believed to be “professional” mercenaries disguised as US drug enforcement administration agents.

Haiti is observing two weeks of mourning following the President’s assassination as shops, banks and gas stations remained close amid an ongoing bid to catch assassins. Questions are also looming over the breach of security.

Haiti’s main airport was also shut but is due to open on Friday. Meanwhile, political chaos is ensued over who gets to be in power now.

The interim prime minister of the country, Claude Joseph, has declared he is in charge now, while he says the nation is in a “state of siege”. However, he was due to step down as Moise named Ariel Henry as his replacement before death.

Mr Henry declared Mr Joseph “is no longer prime minister in my opinion.”

“Does a country have several prime ministers?” he asked.

Moise, 53, was assassinated at his private residence in the capital Port-au-Prince in the early hours of 7 July. His wife, Martine Moise, was also wounded, however, she survived the attack. A highly unpopular leader, Moise was ruling the country by decree after legislative elections due in 2018 were delayed.

As well as presidential, legislative and local elections, Haiti was due to hold a constitutional referendum in September.

Additional reporting by wires