Haiti ambassador: "No doubt" president's assassins had inside help
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The assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was carried out by foreigners, but "there is no doubt" that they had internal help, Haiti's ambassador to the U.S. Bocchit Edmond told CNN Thursday morning.
State of play: Four suspects were killed by police on Wednesday and another two were arrested in association with the attack, according to Haitian officials.
- Interim prime minister Claude Joseph announced Wednesday that he had declared a two-week “état de siège” — a state of siege — and urged Haitians to remain calm as he called for an international investigation.
- Moïse's wife, Martine Moïse, who was critically wounded from gunshot wounds, was flown to Miami for treatment, AP reports.
What they're saying: "The most important thing is we need to continue with the investigations and look and identify those who financed them, those who paid them to commit this horrible act," Edmond said.
- He declined to speculate on a potential motive for the attack while the investigation is ongoing, but said "it's certain that the head of state cannot be killed just for play."
- "We do hope that the national police will continue to hunt them down because possibly there were more than six," Edmond said of potential suspects involved in the assassination. "We are trying to see how we can make sure that those are caught and identified and be brought to justice."
The big picture: The future of Haiti, which had already been reeling from a political crisis and spiking inflation and gang violence, is highly uncertain. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with acting Prime Minister Joseph on Wednesday and extended U.S. support for Haiti, but it's unclear whether Joseph will remain in power long-term.
