17 Colombian ex-soldiers suspected in Haiti President Jovenel Moise's assassination

Seventeen suspects have been apprehended in the shocking assassination of Haiti's president so far, two of whom are believed to hold dual US-Haitian citizenship, according to Haitian officials, and at least six of whom are former members of Colombia's army, according to Colombia's government. Fifteen of the inmates were from Colombia, according to Léon Charles, the chief of Haiti's National Police. Eight more suspects are being sought, while three more have been shot by cops. Seven people were slain, said the police chief.

'17 Colombian ex-soldiers thought involved in Moise assassination'

Colombia's government claimed it had been questioned about six of the suspects in Haiti, two of whom were killed, and had determined that they were former army members. It didn't reveal who they were. President Iván Duque has instructed the senior command of Colombia's army and police to participate in the inquiry, according to Gen. Jorge Luis Vargas Valencia, the commander of the Colombian national police.

Vargas said, "A team was formed with the best investigators... they are going to send dates, flight times, financial information that is already being collected to be sent to Port-au-Prince."

The two Haitian Americans were identified as James Solages and Joseph Vincent. According to a document by Haiti's minister of elections, Mathias Pierre, Solages (35) is the youngest of the suspects, while the oldest is 55-year-old. He refused to say anything else about the people in custody.

President Jovenel Moise assassination

On the website for a foundation he founded in 2019 in south Florida to help residents in the Haitian seaside town of Jacmel, Solages characterised himself as a "licenced diplomatic agent," an advocate for children, and a young politician. Solages formerly worked as a bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in Haiti, according to his bio page for the organisation.

Witnesses said two of the suspects were located hiding in bushes near Port-au-Prince on Thursday, and some people grabbed their shirts and pants, shoved them, and slapped them. Officers loaded the two into the back of a pickup truck and drove away as the throng chased them to a neighbouring police station. 

Under Moise, who had been ruled by decree for more than a year and faced violent protests as critics accused him of seeking to accumulate more power and the opposition demanded he step down, Haiti had become increasingly unstable. The United Nations Security Council met in private on Thursday to assess the situation in Haiti, and U.N. special envoy Helen La Lime later revealed that Haitian officials had requested more security assistance.

(With inputs from AP)

Picture Credit: AP