US Picks Up 18 Suspects in Assassination of Moise

A Florida-bound military flight on Sunday carried 18 suspects accused in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise out of Port-au-Prince and into the US justice system. The suspects were delivered to the Southern District of Florida to stand trial, Reuters reports. They are expected to face federal charges, according to US Attorney Jason Reding Quinones. In a statement, he said the transfers mark "the next major phase in our pursuit of accountability for the assassination," and noted that 30 people in total have been indicted in connection with the killing.

Quiñones did not identify the suspects, but those who remain in Haiti awaiting trial include more than a dozen Colombian soldiers and a former Haitian government official. An FBI official said multiple arrests took place in the US and abroad on Sunday, per the AP. Moise was shot to death at his private residence in July 2021, plunging Haiti into deeper political turmoil and fueling ongoing instability and violence in the country.