The U.S. is sending federal agents to Haiti to investigate the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, as more details emerge about the Colombian-led hit squad implicated in the crime.
Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security will travel to Port-au-Prince to assess the situation and lend assistance, White House Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Friday. The move comes after Haitian authorities called for international help in solving the murder.
Haiti’s police say they detained 19 men: 17 Colombians and two U.S. citizens of Haitian descent, and killed four. The police say 28 people were part of the hit team, allegedly led by retired Colombian soldiers, which carried out the first murder of a sitting Haitian president in more than a century. It remains unclear who ordered the attack.
Moise’s assassination further destabilizes the poorest nation in the Americas, which has been gripped by gang violence, kidnappings, protests and the pandemic. It hasn’t had a functioning legislature since 2020 and the head of the Supreme Court -- who might have replaced Moise -- recently died due to Covid-19.
Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said Friday that he had spoken to Colombian President Ivan Duque, who had “promised full collaboration” in resolving the crime. Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano also acknowledged that the international police agency Interpol had made a formal request for information about the suspects.
Escape Plan
At first, the raid seemed to be meticulously planned and carried out, as the heavily-armed killers pretended to be U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents to gain access to Moise’s residence in the hills outside of Port-au-Prince. A judge who visited the scene told local media that Moise had been shot at least 12 times. Moise’s wife was also wounded, and was medically evacuated to South Florida.
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But it appears their escape plan fell through. Less than 24-hours after the crime, Haiti’s police had killed a handful of suspects and rounded up others. At least two presumed mercenaries were caught by angry mobs, tied with rope and marched through the streets. Eleven others were found hiding on the grounds of the Taiwanese Embassy, near Moise’s home.
On Thursday night, police presented the men, sitting on the floor with their hands bound behind their backs. They also showed a cache of automatic weapons, machetes, sledgehammers, radios and what appeared to be Colombian passports that they said had been taken from the group.
Local newspaper Le Nouvelliste said officials had also recovered the hard drive that stored security footage at Moise’s residence, as well as his checkbook.
Special Forces
One of the men Haitian police presented as an alleged member of the squad was identified as Manuel Antonio Grosso, who Colombia media said is a former paratrooper and member of the special forces. On June 6 -- a month before Moise’s assassination -- he posted pictures of himself on Facebook in neighboring Dominican Republic, which borders Haiti.
Colombian troops are considered among the world’s toughest after having fought against local guerrillas in jungles and mountains for more than five decades. And many have been tempted to quit their posts to become military contractors in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Prime Minister Joseph -- who had been on the job for less than three months -- is currently in charge of the nation of 11 million. The head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, Helen La Lime, has said that Joseph plans to go ahead with presidential and legislative elections in September, with a second round in November.
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But Joseph’s hold on power is being challenged. Earlier this week, Moise had named Ariel Henry to fill the prime minister’s post. While he was never sworn in, Henry told a local newspaper that he -- not Joseph -- is the prime minister, but said he favored dialog to keep from “igniting” the country.