They traveled via the Dominican Republic in two groups to reach the Caribbean nation, according to the head of Colombian police. The U.S. stated that it would send top FBI and Homeland Security officials to assist in the investigation.
Leon Charles, Chief of the Haitian National Police, stated that 17 suspects were detained in the brutal killing of Moise. This shocking act shocked a nation already struggling from poverty and widespread violence as well as political instability.
The investigation progressed and the murder took on the appearance of an elaborate international conspiracy. Two Haitian-Americans were also among the detained by police. They have been described as translators to the attackers. The suspects were taken into custody in an attack on Taiwan’s Embassy, where they are believed have sought refuge.
General Jorge Luis Vargas Valencia, Colombia’s capital, stated that four companies were involved in the “recruitment”, the gathering of these individuals implicated in the assassination. However, he didn’t identify the companies since their names were still being checked.
Vargas stated that two of the suspects arrived in Haiti via Panama and Dominican Republic. Vargas also said that the second group, consisting of 11 people, arrived in Haiti from the Dominican Republic on July 4.
Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary, stated that senior FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials would be sent to Haiti as soon as possible “to assess the situation and to determine how we might be able to help.”
Psaki stated that the United States is still engaged in consultations with its international and Haitian partners in order to provide support for the Haitian people following the assassination.
According to Leon Charles, Chief of the Haitian National Police, eight more suspects remain at large.
“We are going out to bring them to justice,” said the chief of police, while 17 suspects in handcuffs sat down on the floor at a news conference on Thursday.
Clement Noel, an investigator, told Le Nouvelliste, a French-language newspaper, that James Solages, and Joseph Vincent, were the Haitian-Americans who were arrested. He said that they originally intended to arrest Moise and not kill him. The newspaper reported that Noel stated that Vincent and Solages were acting as translators to the attackers.
Moise’s wife was also severely injured in the attack that occurred at his home just before dawn Wednesday. She was flown to Miami to receive treatment.
Claude Joseph, the interim Prime Minister, assumed the leadership of the country with the support of the military. He declared a two-week “state-of-siege” that would see Port-au-Prince be on edge due to the increasing power of gangs. They have already displaced more then 14,700 people as they ransacked and torch homes in a battle for territory.
Joseph appealed to the people to get back to work after the killings brought down the otherwise bustling capital. Street markets, supermarkets and banks reopened on Friday and people gathered to purchase fuel again.
After Haiti, Vargas pledged Colombia’s cooperation. He said that six of the suspects in the attack, including two of those who were killed, were former members of Colombian army. Private security companies in conflict zones around the world heavily recruit U.S.-trained Colombian troops because of their past experience fighting leftist rebels as well as powerful drug cartels.
One former Colombian soldier is currently in custody. His wife claims that he was recruited to travel to Dominican Republic by a security company.
