2 Haitian Americans Arrested in Assassination of President Jovenel Moise, Officials Say

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At least two Haitian Americans are among six men arrested in the assassination of Haiti’s president early Wednesday, officials said.

Haitian Electoral Minister Matthias Pierre-James Solage described him as a Haitian American. He did not provide additional details about Solajis’ background, nor did he name the second Haitian American.

Pierre told The Associated Press that the other four men were from Colombia. He said the oldest suspect was 55 and the youngest, Solajis, 35.

Seven other suspected attackers were killed in a gun battle with police, according to Haitian National Police Director Leon Charles.

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Soulages described himself as an “authorized diplomatic agent,” children’s advocate and emerging politician on a website for a South Florida charity he set up in 2019 to help residents.

On his bio for the charity, Solages said he previously worked as a bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince. On a LinkedIn page with his name and photo, Solages says he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and lists his skills as: Military Police, Mechanical Electrical, Plumbing (MEP), and Electrical Troubleshooting.

Police walk among protesters during a protest against the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise near Pétion-Ville police station in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021 (AP)

Witnesses said a mob discovered two suspects hiding in the bush on Thursday in Port-au-Prince. Some people grab men by their shirts and pants and push and slap them occasionally. Police arrested the men, put them in the back of a pickup truck, and drove away to a nearby police station as the crowd ran after them.

The crowd later set fire to several abandoned cars riddled with bullet holes believed to belong to the suspects.

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At a news conference on Thursday, Charles urged people to remain calm and let the police do their job as he warned authorities needed evidence of their destruction.

Officials did not address the motive for the killing, saying only that the attack, which was condemned by the main opposition parties in Haiti and the international community, was carried out by a “highly trained and heavily armed group”.

Suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise sit on the floor handcuffed after their arrest, at the General Police Department in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021 (AP)

Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste reports that a Haitian judge who took part in the investigation said President Moise was shot dozens of times and his office and bedroom ransacked. The newspaper quoted Judge Carl Henry Destin as saying that investigators found 5.56 and 7.62 mm cartridges between the guard gate and inside the house.

Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who took command of Haiti with the support of the police and army, asked people to reopen businesses and get back to work as he ordered the international airport to reopen.

Haiti’s future is uncertain after the assassination of the president

Instability in Haiti increased under Moise, who had been ruling by decree for more than a year and faced violent protests with his critics accusing him of trying to consolidate his power while the opposition demanded he step down.

According to Haiti’s constitution, Moïse should be replaced by the chief justice of Haiti’s Supreme Court, but the chief justice died in the final days of COVID-19, leaving open the question of who might legitimately succeed in the position.

In the meantime, Joseph was to be replaced by Ariel Henry, the neurosurgeon who Moyes had appointed prime minister the day before the assassination.

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Henry told the AP that he is the prime minister, describing it as an exceptional and confusing situation. “I am the prime minister in office,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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