Live updates: Haiti arrests 2 Americans and 15 Colombians in connection with president's assassination
AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery, File
- Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his private residence early Wednesday, the country's interim prime minister announced.
- Two Americans and 15 Colombians were arrested in connection with the assassination.
- His wife, first lady Martine Moïse, remains in critical condition following the attack.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Psaki said that the government is sending officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to Haiti to "assess the situation."
"The United States remains engaged and in close consultation with our Haitian and international partners to support the Haitian people in the aftermath of the assassination of the president," she said.
—The Recount (@therecount) July 9, 2021
Uncle of US citizen accused in Haiti assassination thinks someone 'played on his mind'
The uncle of the one of the two US citizens who have been arrested in connection with the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse told Insider Friday that he believed his nephew may have been duped into joining the international murder plot.
"He's a good boy, respectful," Florida resident Schubert Dorisme, 63, told Insider of his 35-year-old nephew James Solages.
Solages, his uncle said, was "always working hard, adding "I think somebody played on his mind for him to do something like that."
"It's not him," Dorisme insisted. "It's not the James I know."
Photo shows the 2 US citizens among men accused of assassinating Haiti's presidentJoseph Odelyn/AP Photo/Insider
Images have been released of the suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, among them two with dual Haitian-US nationality.
The image above shows 35-year-old James Solages (left) and 55-year-old Joseph Vincent (second left) held at the police General Directorate in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, according to the Associated Press (AP).
They are with four other unnamed suspects, who officials have said are Colombian. All appear to be restrained at the hands, and Vincent can be seen with zip-tie handcuffs.
Haitian officials said Thursday that two Americans and 15 Colombians have been arrested in connection with the assassination of the country's president, the Associated Press reported.
Léon Charles, chief of Haiti's National Police, said eight additional suspects were still on the run.
Charles, speaking during a press conference Thursday night while the 17 suspects sat on the floor in handcuffs, said: "We are going to bring them to justice."
—Patricia Villegas Marin (@pvillegas_tlSUR) July 9, 2021
The two Americans, identified as Joseph Vincent and James Solages, were described as being of Haitian descent. Officials said six of the suspects were former members of Colombia's military.
Officials said several suspects were killed by police during a gun battle Wednesday.
Two Americans arrested, the Associated Press reportedValerie Baeriswyl / Getty Images
Two people with US citizenship were arrested in Haiti on Thursday in connection with the assassination of the country's president, the Associated Press reported.
Mathias Pierre, a Haitian official, told the AP that two of the six people arrested in connection with the killing were Haitian Americans. One, James Solange, had described himself on a webiste as a former bodyguard at the Canadian embassy in Port au Prince, a detail that could not be immediately confirmed.
"The pursuit of the mercenaries continues," said Léon Charles, director of Haiti's National Police, in announcing the arrest of suspects. "Their fate is fixed: They will fall in the fighting or will be arrested."
UN envoy backs Joseph as the prime minister until elections to choose new governmentAt a press conference on Thursday, Helen La Lime, the United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti, said that interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph will assume executive power, per Article 149 of Haiti's constitution.
"In the event of the death of a president, the current government assumes executive powers, and then the prime minister presides over this group and gives them guidance," she said. "And they take Haiti to elections and a new elected president of Haiti."
The first round of presidential elections is expected to take place in September, La Lime said.
Haitian security forces have arrested a total of six suspects in Moïse's assassinationHelen La Lime, the United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti, said at a press conference that two suspects had been arrested on Wednesday and four more were arrested on Thursday.
The arrests come after a gun battle ensued between suspects and security forces on Wednesday, during which four suspects were killed.
La Lime said a large group of suspects have taken refuge in two buildings in Port-au-Prince and are surrounded by police.
Assassinated Haitian president Jovenel Moïse was reportedly shot 12 times, judge saysPétion-Ville deputy justice of the peace, Carl Henry Destin, told the Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste that Moïse was shot by both large- and small-caliber weapons during the attack early Wednesday morning.
He added that Moïse's bedroom and office were ransacked by the assailants.
Haitian leaders are both claiming to be the country's prime ministerAssociated Press
Two men are claiming to be Haiti's new prime minister following Moïse's assassination.
Claude Joseph, Haiti's interim prime minister, declared that he was in control of security in the country, declaring a "state of siege" which instituted martial law and closed the country's borders.
However, Joseph had been scheduled to step down from the position, as Moïse had selected neurologist Ariel Henry to serve as the new prime minister.
Henry, who was sworn in just before the assassination, claimed that he was the rightful prime minister in an interview with the Associated Press. However, he has said in interviews that he is not in conflict with Joseph and urged "little more serenity and maturity."
The future of Haiti's government has been uncertain since a scheduled 2019 election was pushed back to this year. Moïse refused to step down and had been ruling by decree since January 2020, while pushing for constitutional changes to expand executive authority.
Haiti's police chief says four suspected assassins were killed in a gun battle with police on Wednesday night, and two others were arrested.Haiti's police chief said late Wednesday night that four people suspected of being involved in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse were killed by police in a gun battle. Two others were arrested, he said.
Léon Charles, the police chief, said three police officers who were held hostage had been freed.
"The police are engaged in a battle with the assailants," he said at a news conference. "We are pursuing them so that, in a gunfight, they meet their fate or in gunfight they die, or we apprehend them."
Moïse was shot and killed at about 1 a.m. local time Wednesday by a group of armed assailants in his home.
"A group of unidentified individuals, some of them speaking Spanish, attacked the private residence of the president of the republic and thus fatally wounded the head of state," said Claude Joseph, the interim prime minister of Haiti.
Haitian first lady Martine Moise was also injured in the attack and was receiving medical treatment.
Local police arrested the "presumed" assassins of President Jovenel Moïse on Wednesday evening.Haiti's Communications Secretary Frantz Exantus tweeted Wednesday that local police had arrested the "presumed" assassins of President Jovenel Moïse.
—Frantz Exantus (@FrantzExantusHT) July 7, 2021
Exantus did not provide additional details but said more information would be available shortly on the country's state television broadcaster.
"So far this looks like an execution and not a coup d'état"
Prior to the assassination, an organized crime leader, Jimmy Cherizier, had called on gangs to take on the government, ostensibly over its failure to reduce poverty.
"So far this looks like an execution and not a coup d'état," Jean-Max Bellerive, a former Haitian prime minister, told The Wall Street Journal.
On Monday, Moïse had named a new prime minister, Ariel Henry, who the paper described as having "close ties to opposition leaders."
"[I]t could start looking like a coup d'état if the interim prime minister [Claude Joseph] starts taking charge of everything without trying to achieve consensus," Bellerive said.
Haitian first lady Martine Moïse has arrived in Florida after she was transported via "air ambulance"
Haitian first lady Martine Moïse arrived in South Florida on Wednesday afternoon after she was transported there via an "air ambulance."
The news was first reported on Twitter by Miami Herald reporter Jacqueline Charles who said Moïse was alive.
Moïse was in critical condition, a Haitian ambassador said earlier Wednesday. Moïse survived the shooting that killed her husband, Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
Haitian first lady Martine Moïse is in 'critical condition,' a Haitian ambassador said"She's stable but in critical condition," Ambassador Bocchit Edmond told reporters Monday, according to Reuters.
"Efforts are being done now to take her to Miami to be treated," he added.
Martine Moïse was wounded in the early Wednesday morning attack that left her husband, President Jovenel Moïse, dead.
When elected, Moïse pledged to "write a new page of history," but his time in office was marked by controversy and protestSabin Johnson/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
During his time in office, Moïse faced allegations of corruption, and opposition over fuel shortages, inflation, rising crime, and the misappropriation of development funding.
He was first elected in 2016 and took office the following year. Protests against his government were chaotic and included violent clashes with police.
Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph declared a 'state of siege' Wednesday morning, closing Haiti's bordersJoseph on Wednesday declared a "state of siege," the Haitian designation that falls between a "state of emergency" and a "state of war," on Wednesday morning.
The "state of siege" declaration followed a meeting of the Haitian council of ministers, according to CNN. The designation means all of the country's borders are closed and martial law is enacted.
In a statement, Joseph urged residents to remain calm and promised he would bring "the killers of the president to justice," the report said.
In a statement, President Joe Biden said he was "shocked and saddened""We are shocked and saddened to hear of the horrific assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and the attack on First Lady Martine Moïse of Haiti," Biden said in a statement issued at about 11 a.m. Wednesday.
He added: "We condemn this heinous act, and I am sending my sincere wishes for First Lady Moïse's recovery. The United States offers condolences to the people of Haiti, and we stand ready to assist as we continue to work for a safe and secure Haiti."
Video reportedly taken outside Moïse's home showed a large security response following his assassinationThe video, which was first obtained by Journal la Diaspora and posted by the Miami Herald, showed a number of people with guns — reportedly security personnel — standing on a dark street following the attack. One person appeared to be laying in the middle of the street.
Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph told The New York Times in an interview that he was in control of the Caribbean nationJoseph said Haitian police and military were in control of security in the country.
Source: The New York Times, AP
The news of the assassination creates more uncertainty in Haiti's turbulent political sphereAssociated Press
Before his assassination Wednesday, Moïse had been ruling in the country for over a year by decree after the country failed to hold an election. An election was expected to occur later this year.
At the time of his death, Haiti was experiencing a surge in gang-related crimes, anti-government protests, and COVID-19 infections, the AP reported.
The streets were mostly quiet Wednesday morning, though some ransacked businesses were reported in one area of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital city, according to the AP.
Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his home early Wednesday, the nation's interim prime minister announcedJeanty Junior Augustin/Reuters
Claude Joseph, the interim prime minister of Haiti, announced Wednesday that Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was shot and killed at about 1 a.m. Wednesday by a group of armed assailants in his home.
"A group of unidentified individuals, some of them speaking Spanish, attacked the private residence of the president of the republic and thus fatally wounded the head of state," said Claude Joseph, the interim prime minister of Haiti.
Haitian first lady Martine Moise was also injured in the attack and was receiving medical treatment.
Details of who carried out the assassination were not immediately known.