Report Details 'Wild' Aftermath of Haiti Assassination

CNN has a special report on the hunt for the suspected killers
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 13, 2021 1:25 PM CDT
Report Details 'Wild' Aftermath of Haiti Assassination
The Haitian flag flies at half-mast at the Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Saturday.   (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

As a five-car convoy left the palace of Haiti President Jovenel Moise in the early hours of Wednesday, its inhabitants perhaps thought they'd gotten away with murder. But just down the road, they came up against a blockade, which forced them to flee on foot, leaving behind guns and a supply of bottled water. That’s according to CNN, which reports the hunt for Moise's killers centered around an abandoned storefront and the nearby Taiwanese embassy in Port-au-Prince, and drew a link to the US Drug Enforcement Administration. Moise, found dead in his residence around 1am Wednesday, was shot multiple times and apparently gouged in the eye. He also had a broken leg, per CNN, which reports indications are that the president was tortured.

The suspects seen leaving his home apparently had no idea a trap was waiting on a narrow road between a steep hillside and walled-off ravine. Armed with assault rifles and a grenade, they fled their vehicles on foot, most taking up shelter in an empty storefront, where a gunfight erupted. At least three suspects were killed, while two Haitian-Americans ultimately surrendered. Two hostages from the presidential guard then exited, telling security forces that 25 people were inside. But several suspects escaped to the nearby Taiwanese embassy. Eleven suspects were eventually arrested inside and more in the surrounding area. CNN reports 20 of 28 total suspects are in custody, including several men who were DEA and FBI informants. Read CNN's full account of the "wild chase" here. (A Florida resident has been named as the mastermind.)

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