Haiti’s national police on Sunday announced the arrest of the suspected mastermind of the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
Recall that Moise, 53, was shot dead at his residence in Port-au-Prince in the early hours of Wednesday. His wife Martine was seriously injured and taken to Florida for treatment.
Although the reasons for the attack remain unclear, a Haitian doctor living in the U.S. state of Florida was arrested, police chief Leon Charles said at a news conference.
The suspected killers called him after the attack and evidence was found in his flat, Charles said.
The 63-year-old doctor recently arrived in Haiti on a private plane to seize the presidency, he said.
He allegedly hired Colombian mercenaries through a private Venezuelan security firm based in Florida.
The doctor is the third U.S. resident of Haitian origin and the 21st person overall to be detained as a suspect in the case.
The other two also reportedly lived in Florida.
Police have said 26 Colombian mercenaries were involved in the murder overall, three were killed, 18 suspects were in detention and police were seeking the remaining five.
High-ranking U.S. officials who are expected to help with the investigation met with Charles on Sunday.