The Haitian police arrested two US citizens on Thursday in connection to the ongoing investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moise by unidentified gunmen at his home a day before. According to a report by the Associated Press, one of the arrested men was a former bodyguard at the Canadian embassy in Haitian capital Port au Prince.
According to the local police, at least 28 people were involved in the assassination of President Moise. Out of this, 26 are of Colombian origin.
“We have arrested 15 Colombians and the two Americans of Haitian origin. Three Colombians have been killed while eight others are on the run,” national police director general Leon Charles said at a news conference.
The police have also recovered “weapons and materials used by the assailants,” Charles said, adding, “We will strengthen our investigation and search techniques to intercept the other eight mercenaries,” he also said.
President Moise and his wife Martine were attacked by gunmen at their private residence in the capital Port-au-Prince on Wednesday. During the attack, Moise was shot dead, while his wife sustained injuries. She is currently being treated at a hospital in the United States’ Miami and is reported to be in a stable condition.
The killing of Moise has pushed Haiti, an economically-backward country in the Americas, into a political crisis. It now has no president or working parliament, while two men — Ariel Henry, Claude Joseph — are claiming to be in charge as prime minister.
Officials have not given a motive for the killing so far. Since he took office in 2017, Moise had faced mass protests against his rule – first over corruption allegations and his management of the economy, then over his increasing grip on power.
