Two Haitian Americans detained in slaying of president of Haiti

Police director lists 6 total arrests, 7 others killed in gunfight

Two men believed to be Haitian Americans have been arrested in connection with the assassination of Haiti’s president, a senior Haitian official said Thursday.

Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s minister of elections, told The Associated Press that James Solages was among six people arrested in the killing of President Jovenel Moise by gunmen at his home Wednesday.

Seven other suspected assailants were killed in a gunfight with police, according to Haiti’s director of National Police Leon Charles.

Pierre would not provide additional details about Solages’ background, nor provide the name of the second Haitian American. The U.S. State Department said it was aware of reports that Haitian Americans were in custody but could not confirm or comment.

Solages described himself as a “certified diplomatic agent,” an advocate for children and budding politician on a website for a charity he established in 2019 in south Florida to assist residents.

On his bio page for the charity, Solages said he previously worked as a bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in Haiti. The Canadian Embassy didn’t immediately comment.

Witnesses said two suspects were discovered Thursday hiding in bushes in Port-au-prince.

Police arrested the men, put them in the back of a pickup truck and drove away as the crowd ran after them.

The crowd later set fire to several abandoned cars riddled with bullet holes that they believed belonged to the suspects.

Officials did not address a motive for the slaying, saying only that the attack was carried out by “a highly trained and heavily armed group.”

Meanwhile, the Security Council met Thursday to talk about Haiti, which made a request for additional security assistance. Haiti had grown increasingly unstable under Moise, who had been ruling by decree for more than a year and faced protests as critics accused him of trying to amass more power.