- Police say the gang that killed Haiti’s president included 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans
- Haitian police identified James Solages and Joseph Vincent as two US citizens suspected in assassination plot
- Both are of Haitian descent and they are among 17 suspects detained in the killing of President Jovenel Moïse
- The rest of the detained, dead and at-large suspects, are Colombian nationals, according to police officials
- After saying seven died, police now say three other suspects were killed by cops and eight are on the run
- Solages is the president of the board of directors of Jacmel First, a charity founded in south Florida in 2019
- The charity focuses on ending childhood hunger in Haiti including through education, its website reads
- Solages’ bio describes him as ex-guard for Canadian embassy in Haiti, and a ‘certified diplomatic agent’
- At least two of the men brought in alive were found hiding in bushes by a mob of civilians who attacked them
- Moïse was shot 12 times in Wednesday’s early morning raid on his mansion in the hills above Port-au-Prince
Haitian police now say that two US citizens are among 17 alleged ‘foreign mercenaries’ who have been arrested in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
James Solages, 35, and Joseph Vincent, both US citizens of Haitian descent, were arrested along with 15 Colombian nationals over Wednesday’s brazen raid on Moïse’s mansion in the hills above Port-au-Prince, according to Haitian police.
Solanges, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, is the president of a charity based in south Florida and claims to be a former bodyguard at Canada’s embassy in Haiti. Vincent lives in the Miami area. Both men were born in Haiti, officials said.
After earlier claiming seven suspects were killed, Léon Charles, chief of Haiti’s National Police, now claims that only three other suspects were killed by police, saying eight others are on the run and identifying all of the dead and at-large suspects as Colombian.
‘Foreigners came to our country to kill the president,’ Charles said. ‘There were … 26 Colombians, identified by their passports … and two Haitian Americans as well.’
‘We are going to bring them to justice,’ he said as the 17 suspects sat handcuffed on the floor during a press conference on Thursday night, where a variety of weapons and Colombian passports were arrayed on a table.
The U.S. State Department said it was aware of reports that Haitian Americans were in custody but could not confirm or comment.
Haitian authorities have still not revealed a motive for the killing, what evidence led them to the suspects, or who they believe masterminded the plot — and skepticism is growing among the Haitian public over the government’s account of the assassination.
Meanwhile, Interim President Claude Joseph tightened his grip on sole power in Haiti, despite the lack of legal framework for succession and a dispute with his replacement, whom Moïse named just a day before his assassination.