Haitian Police Engage in Shootout with Presidential Assassin...4 Killed, 2 Arrested

"Remaining Assassins Still Being Tracked... Capture Guaranteed"
Many Political Rivals of President Moise Make It Difficult to Identify Backers

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Haitian police engaged in a shootout with suspects who assassinated President Jovenel Mo?se, killing some of them and arresting others. The remaining fugitives are reportedly still being pursued.

According to the Associated Press on the 7th (local time), Haitian police announced that they engaged in a shootout with the suspects who killed President Mo?se, killing four and arresting two. Three police officers who had been taken hostage by the suspects were also reportedly released late in the afternoon. Haitian National Police Chief L?on Charles emphasized at a press conference that day, "We are pursuing the remaining fugitives, and all of them will be either killed or arrested."

The specific identities of the suspects have not yet been disclosed. Earlier, Haitian Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph stated at a press conference that "the assailants were highly trained and heavily armed," and that "instead of Haiti's official languages, French and Haitian Creole, they spoke English and Spanish." Subsequently, some foreign media released footage from the assassination scene showing the assassins impersonating agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), prompting the U.S. State Department to issue a statement denying any connection between the suspects and the DEA.

The mastermind behind this incident remains unknown. President Mo?se, a former businessman, had many political opponents within Haiti due to his involvement in various corruption scandals since taking office in 2017, making it difficult to identify which faction led this incident.

Currently, Haitian authorities have declared martial law and canceled all flights at the Port-au-Prince International Airport. The remaining assassins are expected to continue their pursuit by police within Haiti.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.