18 suspects in assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse transferred to Florida
Key Points(5)
- Eighteen suspects in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse have been transported from Haiti to Florida to face trial, U.S.
- officials said Sunday.
- The suspects were flown to the United States aboard a military aircraft and are expected to face proceedings in the U.S.
- District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
- “Eighteen transported in military plane from Haiti to face American justice in the Southern District of Florida,” federal prosecutor Jason Reding Quiñones said in a social media post.
Eighteen suspects in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse have been transported from Haiti to Florida to face trial, U.S. officials said Sunday.
The suspects were flown to the United States aboard a military aircraft and are expected to face proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
“Eighteen transported in military plane from Haiti to face American justice in the Southern District of Florida,” federal prosecutor Jason Reding Quiñones said in a social media post.
“Five years later, we are still bringing defendants before American courts, and we are not finished,” he added, saying 30 suspects have now been indicted in connection with the assassination.
Among those transferred is Joseph Félix Badio, a former official in Haiti’s Ministry of Justice who has been identified as a key suspect in the investigation, according to Haitian government and police sources cited by AFP.
The other suspects transferred are Colombian nationals accused of participating in the operation that killed Moïse.
Moïse, 53, was shot and killed at his private residence in Port-au-Prince on July 7, 2021, in an attack involving a group of mostly Colombian former soldiers. His wife, Martine Moïse, was wounded in the attack.
FBI Special Agent Brett Skiles said the latest arrests demonstrate the agency’s continued effort to prosecute those allegedly involved in the plot.
“Today’s multi-location and international arrests underscore the FBI’s continued commitment to bringing all participants in this plot to justice,” Skiles said.
The latest development follows the conviction of four men in a Miami federal court in May on charges that included conspiracy to kill or kidnap Moïse, conspiracy to provide material support and violations of the U.S. Neutrality Act related to an illicit military operation abroad.
The four, who face possible life sentences, were linked to CTU Security, a Florida-based private security company. Federal prosecutors said they were drawn into the plot by the prospect of securing lucrative contracts following Moïse’s removal from office.
U.S. authorities have pursued suspects because portions of the alleged plot were organized in South Florida.
Moïse’s assassination plunged Haiti further into a prolonged political and security crisis. The country has not had an elected president since his death and has not held national elections since 2016.
Haiti is currently preparing for presidential and legislative elections, along with a constitutional referendum, scheduled for December 13, 2026, although persistent insecurity remains a major challenge.
Armed gangs continue to control large parts of Port-au-Prince, while kidnappings, armed robberies and other violent crimes remain widespread.
