Suspects in Haiti's President Assassination Discussed Plans for a Month: NYT

Several key suspects in the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moïse reportedly discussed plans to remove him from power several months prior to the incident.

This was reported on Thursday by The New York Times, citing sources from Haiti’s police and Colombian security officials who are investigating the crime, as well as participants in the discussions.

Over the past year, these meetings took place in Florida and in the neighboring Dominican Republic. However, participants claim that they were not discussing assassinating the president but rather his removal from power.

The newspaper notes that many circumstances surrounding the conspiracy against Moïse remain a mystery.

“Haiti’s police have provided little information [about the conspiracy]. American and Colombian officials have stated that their representatives in Haiti are unable to speak with most of the arrested individuals, and they have to rely on information from Haitian authorities,” the publication writes.

Reporters interviewed relatives of former Colombian military personnel who participated in the attack on the Haitian president’s residence. According to them, the individual who gathered those wishing to travel to Haiti claimed that the operation concerned the “protection of important figures” in the country, which was supported by some American company, and promised to pay the Colombians for their participation. In some cases, he asserted that the operation had the backing of the U.S. government.

Haitian authorities have detained 18 former Colombian commandos. Overall, according to officials, at least 26 Colombian nationals were involved in the group that attempted to assassinate Moïse.

Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse was fatally wounded during an attack on his residence on the night of July 7. The government has imposed a 15-day state of emergency in the republic.