Search Articles
(CN) — Haitian authorities have arrested a pair of U.S. citizens who they believe were involved in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, according to a senior government official.
Seven suspects were reportedly killed in a shootout with authorities in Haiti’s capital and six others were arrested following the slaying of Moise in his bedroom on Wednesday morning.
Authorities blocked several now-detained suspects as they left the scene of the crime, Haiti’s police chief Léon Charles told the BBC in a news conference on Wednesday evening.
“Since then, we have been battling with them," he said of the remaining at-large suspects who he believes were involved in the president’s shooting death.
James Solages, a U.S. citizen who is of Haitian descent, is one of the alleged assailants in custody.
Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s minister of elections and inter-party relations, told The Washington Post that at least one other suspect in custody is also believed to be a U.S. citizen of Haitian descent. That suspect has not been named publicly.
Charles described the gunman as “mercenaries.”
In a briefing with reporters on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. is currently working with Haiti’s acting prime minister, Claude Joseph, and will help support the nation however possible.
“We are looking forward to hearing from them on what they would request and how we can help them through this period of time,” she said.
In an address to the nation on Wednesday, Joseph promised that Moise’s death “will not go unpunished.”
Amid concerns of political unrest in Haiti, Psaki added that the Biden administration is pushing for the Caribbean island nation to hold an election this year.
“We called for an election this year, or we’re continuing to call for one, because we feel that supporting democratic institutions, the democratic process, is something that would be in the interest of the people of Haiti,” Psaki said.
Follow Erika Williams on Twitter
Follow @ErikaKate5Subscribe to our free newsletters
Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.