presidential assassination
Report: Suspects in Haitian president's assassination once worked as U.S. law enforcement informants
Several of the suspects arrested in connection with the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse previously worked as informants for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI, people briefed on the matter told CNN.
In a statement, the DEA told CNN that at least one of the men arrested in Haiti worked "at times" as a "confidential source," and following Moïse's assassination, "the suspect reached out to his contacts at the DEA. A DEA official assigned to Haiti urged the suspect to surrender to local authorities and, along with a U.S. State Department official, provided information to the Haitian government that assisted in the surrender and arrest of the suspect and one other individual."
It has been reported that when the gunmen who assassinated Moïse last Wednesday entered his home, some shouted "DEA," and the agency told CNN that none of the attackers were working on behalf of the DEA. Another suspect was an informant for the FBI, people briefed on the matter told CNN, and in response to questions, the FBI said it uses "lawful sources to collect intelligence" and does not comment on informants.
Haitian officials say at least 28 people were involved in the assassination, with most of the suspects mercenaries from Colombia. On Sunday, Haitian National Police Chief Léon Charles said 63-year-old Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Florida-based doctor, had been detained on suspicion of playing a major role in planning the assassination. He said Sanon allegedly used a Florida-based security firm to recruit many of the men suspected of being involved in the assassination. It's believed that he told them they would serve as his bodyguards, and it's unclear if the men who worked as informants in the United States were willing participants in the assassination or knew about its mission, CNN reports.