FBI collects evidence at late Haitian President Moise’s residence

Port-au-Prince, Jul 15 (EFE).- Members of the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation and agents of Haiti’s police searched Thursday the residence of President Jovenel Moise, shot dead last week, to gather evidence about the assassination.

After several hours inside the house, Haiti’s Scientific Police left at about 5 p.m with various tests, all packaged in plastic sleeves and paper bags, except for a computer monitor.

After six trips transporting evidence to a truck-type vehicle located near the entrance, the group of FBI agents left the house and left the place in three vehicles, where at least four more agents from the US investigation body were waiting.

The house was guarded by heavily armed members of the Haitian Police during the investigation and US embassy agents remained at the entrance, where evidence of the Jul. 7 assault on the residence remained.

At least 21 bullet holes could be seen by the doors and the vehicle gate, each surrounded by a red circle and numbers around them.

A black SUV parked next to the car in which the agents loaded the evidence had broken glass from the shots.

The FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security joined the investigation a few days after the president’s death, investigations that are also led by authorities from Colombia, the nationality of most mercenaries accused of perpetrating the attack on Moise’s residence.

The Pentagon said Thursday that it trained a “small number” of Colombian citizens in the past who have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the assassination.

At the moment, 23 people have been arrested, including 18 former Colombian military personnel and five Haitian-American citizens, and precautionary measures have been applied against 24 agents and officials of the presidential security units. EFE

mmv/lds