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Details of operation to track down suspects in Haitian President’s murder revealed

PORT-AU-PRINCE – A source is now revealing the steps taken by Haitian police, to track down the suspects in President Jovenel Moïse murder in Port-au-Prince.

Nighttime video from around the time of the president’s death went viral last week. At first, you can hear a suspect claiming the commotion was part of an ongoing DEA operation.

Police officers patrol in search for suspects in the murder Haiti's President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Moise was assassinated in an attack on his private residence early Wednesday. . (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn) (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Later, a convoy of five cars arrived and left with ease. Down the road, a trap was set and a roadblock formed with heavily armed security forces.

The convoy stopped, and then a source says the suspects, a group of at least two-dozen Colombians and two Haitian Americans, raced inside a building across the road.

The alleged attackers, inside with limited food, water, ammunition and no power, waited 12 hours.

Along with the 90-degree weather, authorities threw teargas at the building. That is when they finally sent four Colombians outside to negotiate. A source said that during the negotiations, a group of Colombians made their way up a hill, on the back side of the building to the Taiwan Embassy, about 100 meters away.

One of those men, along with the two Haitian Americans, were detained in the encounter.

Suspects in the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise sit on the floor after being detained, at the General Direction of the police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. A Haitian judge involved in the murder investigation said that President Moise was shot a dozen times and that his office and bedroom were ransacked. (AP Photo/Jean Marc Herv Ablard) (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

It is believed the suspects entered the embassy, because police cannot easily access it, given its diplomatic immunity.

A small assault team later surrounded and entered the ground floor of the building and were met with gunfire.

The hour long fight shattered windows and destroyed concrete ceilings and walls. When it ended, the government claims at least three Colombians had died.

With Taiwan’s permission, authorities entered the building the next day. A source reported authorities finding nearly a dozen Colombians in a room, with the help of security camera footage.

At least six of those suspects have not been found.


About the Authors
Calvin Hughes headshot

Seven-time Emmy Award-winning newscaster Calvin Hughes anchors WPLG-Local 10’s 4, 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts.

Veronica Crespo headshot

Veronica Crespo writes for Local10.com and also oversees the Español section of the website. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism and Spanish.

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