Colombia says those arrested in Haiti over president’s assassination are former army members

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Colombian government said Thursday that six of the Colombians detained in Haiti as alleged perpetrators of the assassination of the president of that country, Jovenel Moïse, are retired members of the Colombian Army.

Colombia says those arrested in Haiti over the president’s assassination are former army members

“Today Interpol has officially requested information to the Colombian Government and our National Police about the alleged perpetrators of this crime. Initially, the information indicates that they are Colombian citizens, retired members of the National Army”, said in a statement the Minister of Defense, Diego Molano.

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According to the head of the Defense Ministry, the Colombian Government instructed the Police and the Army “to immediately collaborate in the development of this investigation to clarify these facts.”

For his part, the director of the Colombian Police, General Luis Vargas, said that Interpol “requested information on six people, two of whom were allegedly killed in a procedure by the Haitian National Police as alleged perpetrators of the murder of the Haitian president”.

General Vargas detailed that two of the men, whose identities he did not reveal, initially corresponded to “two retired non-commissioned officers of the Colombian Army”.

He added that later four other names of people captured by the Haitian authorities were received and that “they would correspond to four retired soldiers of the National Army”.

He detailed that the “requested information will be sent and that “dates, flight hours, financial information that is already being collected to be sent to Port-au-Prince in Haiti” will also be sent.

The director of Colombian Noticias Caracol TV, Juan Roberto Vargas, revealed through Blu Radio the names of four of the Colombians involved:

– Alejandro Giraldo Zapata

– John Jairo Ramírez Gómez

– Víctor Albeiro Piñera

– Mauricio Grosso Guarín

Haitian authorities arrested today fifteen Colombians and two Americans of Haitian origin for their alleged involvement in the assassination of President Moïse.

According to Haitian authorities, the commando that perpetrated the assassination was composed of 26 Colombians and the two Americans, according to the information given by the General Director of the Police, Leon Charles, in a press conference with the interim Prime Minister, Claude Joseph, in which the detainees were presented.

Charles said that eight Colombian “mercenaries” are on the run and are “actively” sought, while the other three were killed in shootouts with security forces.

Moïse’s murder, which occurred early Wednesday morning, has caused international commotion and has led the Haitian government to declare a state of siege for a period of fifteen days.