What We Know About the Moïse Assassination Arrests

Eighteen people have been arrested in connection with the July 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse, according to US officials cited by The Guardian. The suspects were flown from Haiti to Florida on a military plane to face charges in US federal court.

What happened in the new arrests?

FBI special agent Brett Skiles said Sunday that “today's multi-location and international arrests underscore the FBI's continued commitment to bringing all participants in this plot to justice.” Federal prosecutor Jason Reding Quinones, of the Southern District of Florida, wrote on X that “18 transported in military plane from Haiti to face American justice in the southern district of Florida,” and said 30 suspects have now been indicted in total. “Five years later, we are still bringing defendants before American courts, and we are not finished,” Quinones wrote.

Who was Jovenel Moïse and how was he killed?

Moïse, 53, was shot dead at his private residence on July 7, 2021. The killing was carried out by a hired group of roughly 20 military-trained Colombian mercenaries, according to the AFP report published by the Guardian. His security detail did not intervene to protect him.

Where will the suspects face trial?

The newly arrested suspects have been taken to Florida, where US courts have jurisdiction over the case because parts of the plot were hatched on American soil. That is the same venue that has already produced convictions and life sentences in the case.

Who else has been convicted or indicted in the case?

Eleven people had already been indicted in US courts before Sunday's arrests. Five of them have been sentenced to life in prison: a former Colombian soldier, a former Haitian senator, a Haitian Chilean businessman, a retired Colombian soldier and a Haitian American, according to the Guardian's reporting.

In May, four additional men were convicted in federal court in Miami on charges including conspiracy to kill or kidnap Moïse, conspiracy to provide material support, and violating the US Neutrality Act by engaging in an illicit military operation abroad. All four were linked to CTU, a Florida-based private security firm, and were drawn into the plot by the prospect of lucrative contracts if Moïse were removed from power, federal prosecutors said. Those four face possible life sentences.

What is Haiti's political situation now?

Haiti has had no president since Moïse's assassination and has descended into deeper chaos in the years since, according to the AFP account. The country is preparing to hold its first election since the killing, though the report does not specify a date.

The latest arrests bring the total number of people indicted in US courts over the assassination to 30, five years after gunmen entered Moïse's residence and killed him in front of his wife, who survived the attack. Prosecutors have signaled the investigation remains active, with Quinones stating flatly that authorities “are not finished” pursuing those responsible.