Suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise are displayed to the media at the General Direction of the police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Moise was assassinated in an attack on his private residence early Wednesday.
The entrance gate to Haiti is closed seen from Jimani, Dominican Republic, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Dominican President Luís Abinader ordered the closure of the border on Wednesday, after Haiti’s government reported that a team of gunmen had assassinated President Jovenel Moïse.
People look into the window of a police car carrying the bodies of two people killed in a shooting with police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. According to Police Chief Leon Charles, the two dead are suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
Police investigators in Haiti were combing the home of assassinated president Jovenel Moïse on Wednesday, hours after he was killed by unidentified gunmen.
Dominican Republic soldiers guard the border with Haiti in Jimani, Dominican Republic, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Dominican President Luís Abinader ordered the closure of the border on Wednesday, after Haiti’s government reported that a team of gunmen had assassinated President Jovenel Moïse.
A youth peers though the closed gate at the border with Haiti in Jimani, Dominican Republic, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Dominican President Luís Abinader ordered the closure of the border on Wednesday, after Haiti’s government reported that a team of gunmen had assassinated President Jovenel Moise.
Interim President Claude Joseph, center, looks at the suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise during as they were shown to the media at the General Direction of the police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Moise was assassinated in an attack on his private residence early Wednesday.
Police guard detained suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise at the General Direction of the police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Moïse was assassinated in an attack on his private residence early Wednesday.
Suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise are shown to the media, along with the weapons and equipment they allegedly used in the attack, at the General Direction of the police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Moise was assassinated in an attack on his private residence early Wednesday.
Miami Haitian community reacts to the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, a former banana producer and political neophyte who ruled Haiti for more than four years as the country grew increasingly unstable under his watch.
Gunmen have assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and wounded his wife in their home.
Two suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise are moved to be displayed to the press at the General Direction of the police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Moise was assassinated in an attack on his private residence early Wednesday.
ADDS THAT PROTESTERS ALSO WANT POLICE TO HAND OVER THE DETAINEES WHO ARE ALIVE – People pressure police to hand over two men who were arrested and the bodies of two men who were brought in by police after they were killed by police, in order to burn them in retaliation for the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, at a police station of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. According to National Police Director Leon Charles, the dead and detained are suspects in Moïse’s July 7 assassination.
Police search the Morne Calvaire district of Petion Ville for suspects who remain at large in the murder of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, July 9, 2021. Moise was assassinated on July 7 after armed men attacked his private residence and gravely wounded his wife, first lady Martine Moise.
Security guards stand at the entrance to Taiwan’s embassy the morning after a break-in, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, July 9, 2021, two days after the Haitian president was assassinated. Taiwan’s foreign ministry says Haitian police have arrested suspects who tried to break into its embassy but gave no details of the suspects’ identities or a reason for the break-in.
A police truck takes two detainees to the police station of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. According to Police Chief Leon Charles, the two detained are suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
People move past a burning truck outside the police station of Petion Ville during a protest against the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Officials pledged to find all those responsible for the pre-dawn raid on Moïse’s home early Wednesday in which the president was shot to death and his wife, Martine, critically wounded.
FILE – In this Feb. 7, 2020 file photo, Haitian President Jovenel Moise arrives for an interview at his home in Petion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Moïse was assassinated in an attack on his private residence early Wednesday, July 7, 2021, and first lady Martine Moïse was shot in the overnight attack and hospitalized, according to a statement from the country’s interim prime minister.
Colombian Armed Forces Commander Gen. Luis Fernando Navarro, center, National Police Director Gen. Jorge Luis Vargas, right, and Army Commander Gen. Eduardo Zapateriro give a press conference regarding the alleged participation of former Colombian soldiers in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, July 9, 2021.
Police search the Morne Calvaire district of Petion Ville for suspects who remain at large in the murder of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, July 9, 2021. Moise was assassinated on July 7 after armed men attacked his private residence and gravely wounded his wife, first lady Martine Moise.
The police take two detainees to the police station of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. According to Police Chief Leon Charles, the two detained are suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
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, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Moise was assassinated in an attack on his private residence early Wednesday.
Soldiers arrive for a change of guard at the border with Haiti in Jimani, the Dominican Republic, Friday, July 9, 2021. Dominican President Luís Abinader ordered the closure of the border on Wednesday after Haiti’s government reported gunmen had assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
Haitians gather at the main gate of the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, July 9, 2021. A large crowd gathered outside the embassy amid rumors on radio and social media that the U.S. will be handing out exile and humanitarian visas, two days after Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his home.
Suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise are tossed on the floor after being detained, at the General Direction of the police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. A Haitian judge involved in the murder investigation said that President Moise was shot a dozen times and his office and bedroom were ransacked.
ADDS THAT PROTESTERS ALSO WANT POLICE TO HAND OVER THE DETAINEES WHO ARE ALIVE – People pressure police to hand over two men who were arrested and the bodies of two men who were brought in by police after they were killed by police, in order to burn them in retaliation for the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, at a police station of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. According to National Police Director Leon Charles, the dead and detained are suspects in Moïse’s July 7 assassination.
People protest against the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse near the police station of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Officials pledged to find all those responsible for the pre-dawn raid on Moïse’s home early Wednesday in which the president was shot to death and his wife, Martine, critically wounded.
Police officers patrol in search for suspects in the murder Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Moise was assassinated in an attack on his private residence early Wednesday. .
People try to recover usable material from a burned-out car during a protest a day after the murder of President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Moise was assassinated after a group of armed men attacked his private residence, and gravely wounding his wife, First Lady Martine Moise.
A worker carries steel rebar for a construction project a day after the murder of President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Moise was assassinated after a group of armed men attacked his private residence, and gravely wounding his wife, First Lady Martine Moise.
Children ride on the roof and back of a public taxi a day after the murder of President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Moise was assassinated after a group of armed men attacked his private residence, and gravely wounding his wife, First Lady Martine Moise.
An Haitian vendor stands by a truck filled with vegetables at the closed border with Haiti in Jimani, Dominican Republic, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Dominican President Luís Abinader ordered the closure of the border on Wednesday, after Haiti’s government reported that a team of gunmen had assassinated President Jovenel Moïse.
Police stand amid a crowd protesting against the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse near the police station of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Officials pledged to find all those responsible for the pre-dawn raid on Moïse’s home early Wednesday in which the president was shot to death and his wife, Martine, critically wounded.
Police walk among protesters during a protest against the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse near the police station of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Officials pledged to find all those responsible for the pre-dawn raid on Moïse’s home early Wednesday in which the president was shot to death and his wife, Martine, critically wounded.
Haitians crowd around a door of the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, July 9, 2021. A large crowd gathered outside the embassy amid rumors on radio and social media that the U.S. will be handing out exile and humanitarian visas, two days after Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his home.
A girl sits on an outer window ledge of the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, July 9, 2021. A large crowd gathered outside the embassy amid rumors on radio and social media that the U.S. will be handing out exile and humanitarian visas, two days after Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his home.
People gather in front of the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, July 9, 2021. A large crowd gathered outside the embassy amid rumors on radio and social media that the U.S. will be handing out exile and humanitarian visas, two days after Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his home.
National Police Director, Gen. Jorge Luis Vargas, speaks during a press conference regarding the alleged participation of former Colombian soldiers in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, July 9, 2021.
Haitians wave their passports shouting “Help, refugee,” as they gather outside the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, July 9, 2021. A large crowd gathered outside the embassy amid rumors on radio and social media that the U.S. will be handing out exile and humanitarian visas, two days after Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home.
Debris litters a street caused by a flood of water brought on by heavy rains that fell over Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, July 9, 2021, two days after Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home.
Debris litters a street caused by a flood of water brought on by heavy rains that fell over Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, July 9, 2021, two days after Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home.
Haitians gather in front of the U.S. Embassy amid rumors on radio and social media that the U.S. will be handing out exile and humanitarian visas, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, July 9, 2021, two days after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home.
Suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise are shown to the media, along with the weapons and equipment they allegedly used in the attack, at the General Direction of the police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Moise was assassinated in an attack on his private residence early Wednesday.
Haitians wave their passports shouting “Help, refugee,” as they gather outside the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, July 9, 2021. A large crowd gathered outside the embassy amid rumors on radio and social media that the U.S. will be handing out exile and humanitarian visas, two days after Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s interim government said Friday that it asked the U.S. to deploy troops to protect key infrastructure as it tries to stabilize the country and prepare the way for elections in the aftermath of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
“We definitely need assistance and we’ve asked our international partners for help,” Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph told The Associated Press in an interview, declining to provide further details. “We believe our partners can assist the national police in resolving the situation.”
Joseph said that he was dismayed by opponents who’ve tried to take advantage of Moïse’s murder to seize political power — an indirect reference to a group of lawmakers have declared their loyalty and recognized Joseph Lambert, the head of Haiti’s dismantled senate, as provisional president and Ariel Henry, whom Moïse designated as prime minister a day before he was killed, as prime minister.
“I’m not interested in a power struggle,” Joseph said in the brief phone interview, without mentioning Lambert by name. “There’s only one way people can become president in Haiti. And that’s through elections.”
Joseph spoke just hours after the head of Colombia’s police said that the Colombians implicated in Moïse’s assassination were recruited by four companies and traveled to the Caribbean nation in two groups via the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, the U.S. said it would send senior FBI and Homeland Security officials to help in the investigation.