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Haiti has asked for foreign troops to be sent to the country to guard key infrastructure after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
The request was sent by the govt to the US and therefore the UN, but the US says it’s no plans to supply military assistance “at this time”.
Haitian police earlier said a gaggle of 28 foreign mercenaries killed the president on Wednesday.
After a gun battle within the capital Port-au-Prince, 17 of them were detained.
Some of the group, which Haiti says included retired Colombian soldiers, were held at the house they were using, others after entering Taiwan’s diplomatic compound, the police said.
Three suspects were killed by police, and eight others are still being sought.
Although the US won’t offer troops, it said on Friday it had been sending FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials to Haiti to assist within the investigation.
The UN Security Council would need to approve any decision to send international troops to Haiti under UN auspices.
The killing has triggered some civil unrest in Haiti, the poorest nation within the Americas. A state of emergency remains effective across the country and it’s unclear who is in effective charge of the country’s government.
Firearms and cash
Bloodied and bruised, arrested suspects were shown to the media on Thursday, alongside a slew of seized weapons.
It is still unclear who organised the attack and with what motive.
The attack happened within the early hours on 7 July, when gunmen broke into the president’s home, shooting him dead and wounding his wife. Mr Moïse, 53, was found lying on his back with 12 bullet wounds and a gouged eye, consistent with the authorities.
Martine Moïse, 47, was seriously wounded and is in a stable condition after being flown to Florida for treatment.
What we all know about the killing thus far
Police said the team included mainly Colombians, alongside two Haitian-Americans.
Found within the suspects’ possession were firearms, sets of folks dollar bills, the president’s personal chequebook and therefore the server that held surveillance camera footage from his home, Le Nouvelliste newspaper reported.
Taiwan confirmed that 11 of the suspects were arrested after breaking into a courtyard at its compound.
Angry civilians had joined the look for the gunmen, and helped police hunt some who were hiding in bushes. The gang set fire to 3 of the suspects’ cars and destroyed evidence.
Colombian support
At the press conference on Thursday, police showed reporters Colombian passports.
“Foreigners came to our country to kill the president,” Mr Charles said, because the suspects sat on the ground behind him in handcuffs.
Colombia’s government has pledged to help Haiti with its investigation efforts.
Colombian police director, Gen Jorge Luis Vargas, said 17 former Colombian soldiers were thought to be involved.
The US state department, meanwhile, said it couldn’t confirm if any of its citizens had been detained.
However, US and Canadian media are reporting that one among the twin citizens arrested, James Solages, 35, is from Florida and was a former bodyguard at the Canadian embassy in Haiti.
An investigating judge told local media that Mr Solages and therefore the other US citizen, named as Joseph Vincent, had said they were there as translators for the mercenaries.
“The mission was to arrest President Jovenel Moïse… and to not kill him,” Judge Clément Noël told Le Nouvelliste.
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