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Suspect in Haiti president’s assassination extradited to Miami

Rodolphe Jaar is second suspect formally charged in connection with president’s assassination

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MIAMI – U.S. authorities say a businessman accused in the July 7 killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was extradited to face criminal charges in Miami after he was detained in the Dominican Republic.

“We can confirm Rodolphe Jaar is in U.S. custody in the Southern District of Florida,” Nicole Navas, spokesperson at the Department of Justice, said Wednesday. “He will be presented with criminal charges tomorrow at his initial appearance” at the federal court.

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Jaar, who was convicted of drug-trafficking charges a decade ago and once served as an informant for the U.S. government, was extradited from the Dominican Republic, where he was detained earlier this month.

Earlier this month, authorities announced the arrest of two others -- Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios, a 43-year-old Colombian, who was ordered to remain behind bars until his arraignment, which is set for Jan. 31.

Palacios Palacios was the first person to be formally charged in the crime.

He faces one count of providing material support resulting in death and conspiracy to kill or kidnap outside the United States.

Palacios was recently deported from Jamaica and, during a layover in Panama, agreed to travel to the U.S., DOJ officials said.

If convicted of the charges, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment

Another man, John Joël Joseph, was also taken into custody this month in Jamaica in connection with the president’s assassination, but he has not yet been formally charged.

Jamaica Police Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay told the AP that other people were arrested along with Joseph and that authorities were trying to determine whether they are family members.

Moïse was shot dead on July 7 in an ambush at his home in Port-au-Prince. The shooting also injured his wife Martine, who was brought to Miami for treatment.

Investigators arrested dozens of people in connection with the assassination, some of whom have ties to South Florida. Among those are 19 former Colombian soldiers, including Palacios, who was a member of Colombia’s military for 20 years.


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