The moment a baying mob captured Colombian ex-military mercenaries in Haiti - as power struggle breaks out with two 'successors' saying THEY should be in charge after Covid killed chief justice
This is the moment a baying mob captured Colombian ex-military mercenaries in Haiti, dragging them bloody and beaten through the slums of Port-au-Prince, amid chaos in the power vacuum left by the president's assassination.
Police said 26 Colombians and two US citizens were involved in the raid on Jovenel Moise's mansion in the early hours of Wednesday, without providing any motivation as scepticism grows among the populace.
They include James Solages, 35, and Joseph Vincent, 55, both Haitian-born US citizens, who were paraded in front of cameras alongside their weapons with 17 other suspects - the rest are either still at large or have been killed, the police said.
Footage showed two Colombian suspects being hauled through the streets with ropes around their midriffs, one of the men was shirtless and covered in blood as people shoved the pair amid shouts and shrieks from the mob.
Another two alleged hired guns were discovered hiding in bushes by a crowd who grabbed the men by their shirts and pants, occasionally slapping them, before they were handed over to police and loaded onto a truck bed.
Eleven more hired guns were collared after they tried to break into the Taiwanese embassy to hide from the authorities. Taiwan has close diplomatic ties with Haiti as one of the few states to recognise its independence from China - though it is not clear why its consulate was chosen as a hideout.
Police originally claimed to have shot dead seven 'commandos' in a shoot-out and arrested several others on Wednesday, this was later revised down to three men slain.
The confused picture painted by the authorities only serves to put the interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph - who was due to be replaced this week - on a more precarious footing as the Haitian public demand to know who wanted their president dead.
Joseph has declared a 'state of siege' and seized sole power of the country, a move disputed by the man who Moise had named as his successor, the country's coronavirus tsar, Ariel Henry.
Adding to that turmoil, the Caribbean nation has no clear legal framework for succession after the justice chief who should have taken over, according to the constitution, died last month of Covid-19.
Moise, who was accused of turning the country into dictatorship, had stripped away the country's legislature and consolidated power in the executive, meaning that whoever fills the vacuum could continue the tyranny.
Footage showed two Colombian suspects being hauled through the streets with ropes around their midriffs, one of the men was shirtless and covered in blood as people shoved him amid shouts and shrieks from the mob.
James Solages, 35, (left) and Joseph Vincent (right) are both US citizens of Haitian descent, and were arrested along with 15 Colombian nationals over Wednesday's brazen assassination of President Moïse's mansion in the hills above Port-au-Prince
POWER STRUGGLE: Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph (left) has seized power of the country, declaring a state of emergency, just days before he was due to be replaced by the country's coronavirus tsar Ariel Henry (right), the man Moise had named as Joseph's successor. Henry - considered more favorably by the opposition - told Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste that he did not consider Joseph the legitimate prime minister and he should revert to the role of foreign minister. 'I think we need to speak. Claude was supposed to stay in the government I was going to have,' Henry was quoted as saying.
The two suspected Colombian mercenaries, one covered in blood, the other man in front in a grey t-shirt, are pushed and shoved through the streets
The suspected hired guns are dragged up steps with ropes tied around their midriffs by the mob
Interim President Claude Joseph, center, speaks to journalists during a press conference to show the captured suspects. Joseph tightened his grip on sole power in Haiti Thursday, despite the lack of legal framework for succession
Police lined up the 17 assassination suspects, including two American citizens and 15 Columbians, behind a table displaying an array of firearms, machetes, sledgehammers and several Colombian passports
The motely assortment of weapons included rusty machetes, shotguns, high-powered rifles and handguns
Suspects in the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise, among them Haitian-American citizens James Solages, left, and Joseph Vincent, second left, are shown to the media at the General Direction of the police in Port-au-Prince
Suspects in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, who was shot dead early Wednesday at his home, are shown to the media in Port-au-Prince on Thursday
After earlier claiming seven suspects were killed, Léon Charles, chief of Haiti's National Police, now claims that only three other suspects were killed by police, saying eight others are on the run
Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and First Lady Martine are pictured together in 2017. Moïse was riddled with 12 bullet holes and had his eye gouged out during Wednesday's brutal attack, which killed him and seriously injured his wife
Just after 1am on Wednesday, assassins shouting in American accents 'DEA operation, stand down' stormed into the 53-year-old's private residence in the hills above the capital, ransacking bedrooms and offices, and leaving him to die an horrific death with machine gun fire riddling his body from his head down to his legs.
His wife, First Lady Martine, 47, was gravely wounded and has since been rushed to a hospital in Miami, while their adult daughter Jormalie was left fearing for her life as she cowered in a bedroom but was able to escape unharmed.
Police chief Leon Charles told a news conference on Thursday that three suspects had been killed by police in a gun battle following the assassination, while eight others were on the run.
'Foreigners came to our country to kill the president,' Charles said. 'There were ... 26 Colombians, identified by their passports ... and two Haitian Americans as well.'
'We are going to bring them to justice,' he said as the 17 suspects sat handcuffed on the floor during a press conference on Thursday night, where a variety of weapons and Colombian passports were arrayed on a table.
Solanges, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is the president of a charity based in south Florida and claims to be a former bodyguard at Canada's embassy in Haiti. Vincent lives in the Miami area. Both men were born in Haiti, officials said.
The U.S. State Department said it was aware of reports that Haitian Americans were in custody but could not confirm or comment.
Solages described himself as a 'certified diplomatic agent,' an advocate for children and budding politician on a website for a charity he started in 2019 in south Florida to assist people in the Haitian coastal town of Jacmel. On his bio page for the charity, Solages said he previously worked as a bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in Haiti.
Canada's foreign relation department released a statement that did not refer to Solages by name but said one of the men detained for his alleged role in the killing had been 'briefly employed as a reserve bodyguard' at its embassy by a private contractor. He gave no other details.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's foreign ministry said Haitian police had arrested 11 armed suspects who tried to break into the Taiwanese embassy early Thursday. It gave no details of the suspects' identities or a reason for the break-in.
'As for whether the suspects were involved in the assassination of the President of Haiti, that will need to be investigated by the Haitian police,' Foreign Affairs spokesperson Joanne Ou told The Associated Press in Taipei.
Police were alerted by embassy security guards while Taiwanese diplomats were working from home. The ministry said some doors and windows were broken but there was no other damage to the embassy.
Haiti is one of a handful of countries worldwide that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan instead of the rival mainland Chinese government in Beijing.
In Port-au-Prince, witnesses said a crowd discovered two suspects hiding in bushes, and some people grabbed the men by their shirts and pants, pushed them and occasionally slapped them. An Associated Press journalist saw officers put the pair in the back of a pickup and drive away as the crowd ran after them to a police station.
'They killed the president! Give them to us! We're going to burn them,' people chanted outside Thursday.
The crowd later set fire to several abandoned cars riddled with bullet holes that they believed belonged to the suspects. The cars didn't have license plates, and inside one was an empty box of bullets and some water.
Police chief Charles urged the public to stay calm and let his officers do their work. He cautioned that authorities needed evidence that was being destroyed, including torched cars belonging to the suspects.
Officials have given out little information on the killing, other than to say the attack was carried out by 'a highly trained and heavily armed group' - leading to conspiracy theories among the Haitian public speculating on who wanted their president dead.
Many wondered how the hired guns could penetrate Moise's home, slip past armed security and then escape unscathed - only to later get caught without a getaway plan.
Moise's assassination came just one day after Moise named Henry as the new prime minister, taking over from interim PM Joseph.
However, Joseph assumed sole power of the embattled country, declaring a 15-day 'state of siege' granting him absolute authority and the two men have given conflicting accounts over who should rightfully be in power.
Henry - considered more favorably by the opposition - told Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste that he did not consider Joseph the legitimate prime minister and he should revert to the role of foreign minister.
'I think we need to speak. Claude was supposed to stay in the government I was going to have,' Henry was quoted as saying.
The United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti said on Thursday Joseph would remain leader until an election was held, urging all parties to set aside their differences.
Joseph said he had spoken with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and asked Washington for 'technical support' to help hold elections in the coming days.
Moise had sparked fury for not holding elections last year and his term was supposed to end in February 2021, though the late president claimed it should have ended in 2022.
Interim President Claude Joseph, center, looks at the suspects at the press briefing. Joseph has assumed absolute power by declaring a 'state of siege' despite questions over who should assume the presidency
Suspects in the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise are shown to the media in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Thursday
Weaponry, mobile phones, passports and other items are being shown to the media along with suspects in the assassination
Not everyone was buying the government's description of the attack. Many wondered how the sophisticated attackers described by police could penetrate Moïse's home, but were then caught without planning a successful getaway
Soldiers frog march two of the suspects in the assassination after displaying them for the media at a press conference
Police officers guard a group of suspects accused of having participated in the assassination of the Haitian President
Suspected American assassin Solages is the president of the board of directors of Jacmel First, a charity founded in south Florida in 2019 which is focused on ending childhood hunger in Haiti.
Haiti's Minister of Elections and Inter-party Relations Mathias Pierre told the Associated Press he would not provide additional details about Solages' background. He also did not detail either of the American's alleged involvement in the assassination or what evidence led to their arrests.
According to his charity's bio page, Solages previously worked as the chief commander of bodyguards for The Canadian embassy in Haiti and is a building engineer specializing in infrastructure development.
Currently, he works as a corporate executive serving as a consultant in different locations throughout South Florida and also serves as a politician 'promoting his country by focusing on compassion programs and counseling economic development program', his bio reads.
He also describes himself as a 'certified diplomatic agent,' an advocate for underprivileged children and a budding politician.
Jacmel First's charitable mission is to support the growth and development of underprivileged people in Haiti and specifically Jacmel - a port town on the south coast of the country, the website says.
This includes through education, health education and the implementation of sanitation systems.
Attempts by DailyMail.com to reach the charity by phone did not go through or were not answered.
American 'mercenary' and former head of security at the Canadian Embassy in Haiti James Solages (pictured) is among the six 'assassins' who have been arrested over the murder of President Jovenel Moïse, according to a government official
James Solages (pictured), a US citizen of Haitian descent and president of a local charity, was taken into custody over Wednesday's early morning raid on Moïse's mansion, Haiti's Minister of Elections and Inter-party Relations Mathias Pierre said
National Police Director Leon Charles said at a press briefing Thursday afternoon that authorities 'have the physical perpetrators in hand and we are looking for the instigators.'
At least two of the men brought in alive were reportedly found hiding in bushes by civilians who roughed them up before turning them over to police while others were captured or killed during an overnight shootout with security forces.
National Police Director Leon Charles told Radio Metropole Thursday that other members of the hit squad remain at large and vowed that the other people responsible 'will be killed or arrested.'
No motive has been given for the attack which left Moïse riddled with 12 bullet holes and with his eye gouged out.
A crowd of local residents took matters into their own hands Thursday, surrounding two male suspects who they claimed were hiding in bushes in Port-au-Prince.
The crowd was seen grabbing the suspects by their shirts and the back of their pants, pushing and slapping them before police officers arrived.
Cops placed the two men in the back of a police pickup truck to transport them to the police station of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince as the crowd chased after the vehicle.
Six 'assassins' have been arrested and three killed over the murder of Haiti president Jovenel Moïse, police said. The bodies of two of the people killed by police are pictured being transported away in a police vehicle
Haitian police transport two other men in the back of a cop trailer to the police station of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince. Police said the two men are suspects in the murder of Haiti president Jovenel Moïse
One of the men detained by Haitian police on suspicion of being involved in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse
Another male suspect is seen covered in blood as he was loaded into the back of a police car Thursday - one day on from the deadly raid on the president's mansion
The two men were reportedly found hiding in bushes by civilians who roughed them up before turning them over to police
People look in through the window of the police car at the bodies of two of the people suspected of being involved in the assassination of the president
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