Haiti police detain 11 Moïse murder suspects in Taiwan embassy

Port-au-Prince, Jul 9 (EFE).- Haitian police have detained 11 suspected foreign mercenaries at the Taiwanese embassy in the Caribbean nation who were wanted in relation to the assassination of president Jovenel Moïse, diplomatic sources confirmed Friday.

In a statement, Taiwan’s diplomatic mission said Haitian police made a request to enter the embassy compound to arrest the suspects on Thursday and that embassy officials immediately authorized the operation.

The operation began at 4pm local time on Thursday and resulted in 11 arrests, diplomatic sources added in the statement.

The group that perpetrated the killing was made up of 26 Colombians and two Haitian-Americans, according to police chief León Charles at a press conference with Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph, in which they presented detainees.

Officials said 15 Colombians and two Haitian-Americans had been detained while three Colombian suspects were killed by police.

Police are still hunting the eight suspected Colombian mercenaries who carried out the breach of the president’s private residence in Port-au-Prince and the subsequent assassination of the head of state.

The murder of Moïse has caused international outrage and has led the Haitian government to declare a 15-day state of siege.

First lady Martine Moïse, who was injured in the attack, was “out of danger” Wednesday after being transferred to a hospital in Miami.

Joseph, the interim prime minister who has taken control of the government and had officially been replaced by Moïse the night before the president’s murder, reiterated calls for calm on Thursday.

Despite the ongoing tension in the deeply unstable nation, the government took the first steps toward normality with the reopening of the Port-au-Prince airport.