Haiti arrests another officer in president's murder

Port-au-Prince, Jul 31 (AP): Haitian police said Friday that a fourth officer has been arrested in the killing of President Jovenel Moïs.

By : PTI | Updated at : 31 Jul 2021 02:04 AM (IST)

Port-au-Prince, Jul 31 (AP): Haitian police said Friday that a fourth officer has been arrested in the killing of President Jovenel Moïse.

National Police spokesperson Marie-Michelle Verrier said a total of 27 people have been arrested and others are still being sought in connection with the July 7 attack at the president's home.

Another nine officers were being held in isolation for questioning — apparently among a total of 44 people held to determine what responsibility they may have had in the killing or to determine if they were negligent in their duties.

Authorities also asked for help from the general public. “Everyone the police is looking for, we are asking the population for help. ... Give your participation, help us find these people”, said Verrier, who also mentioned there was a “big” reward for anyone who gives information that leads to the arrest of suspects, but did not specify the amount of the reward.

On Monday, Haitian police arrested Jean Laguel Civil, who served as general security coordinator when Moïse was killed in the middle of the night at his private residence.

Eighteen of those formally arrested are former Colombian soldiers. Police are still looking for various suspects, including a former rebel leader and an ex-Haitian senator. On Monday, they identified another suspect: Superior Court Judge Windelle Coq Thelot.

But it remains unclear who organized and financed the plot that included recruiting former Colombian special forces soldiers and at least two Florida-based companies. (AP) CPS

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)