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3 Haitian police officers were arrested in connection to President's assassination, officials say

Sarah Al-Arshani   

3 Haitian police officers were arrested in connection to President's assassination, officials say
  • Haitian police said their police force may have been infiltrated before President Moïse's killing.
  • Police Chief Léon Charles said 3 police officers were arrested in connection to the assassination.
  • Charles is also investigating who funded the attack, The Associated Press reported.

Three police officers were arrested in Haiti in connection to the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, Haiti's national police said.

The Associated Press reported that the officers were implicated in Moïse's killing but their ranks were not disclosed.

"There was infiltration in the police," Police Chief Léon Charles said, the AP reported. "It happened with money."

The New York Times reported that the three officers were identified as Boni Gregoire, Clifton Hyppolite, and Elie Jean Charles. Not much detail was presented on what their exact roles in the assassination were.

Charles also said Interpol and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation were helping identify and find US citizens in America who he said helped fund the attack, the AP reported.

The arrests come as designated Prime Minister Ariel Henry was sworn into office. He's replacing interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who stepped down on Monday. Moïse had selected Henry, a neurosurgeon, as prime minister, two days before his death.

On Saturday, The Core Group, diplomats from countries like Germany, Canada, and the United States, issued a statement that called for "a consensual and inclusive government" to be created in the country.

It said: "To this end, it strongly encourages the designated Prime Minister Ariel Henry to continue the mission entrusted to him to form such a government."

Moïse was killed in his private home, but it's still not clear who was behind the attack. Haitian police previously said a group of 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans were responsible but some high-ranking officials within his government have also been questioned.

Dimitri Herard, Moïse's chief of security, was questioned by police and taken into custody, last week, CNN reported.

The AP also reported that Charles said seven high-ranking police officers have been detained and isolated in connection to the president's killing, although they are not formally considered suspects and no official arrests were made.

Altogether, police said they arrested more than two dozen people as part of their investigation. They also seized 60 firearms, a drone, and three grenades, the Times reported.

A ceremony was also held in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday to honor Moïse.

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