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Pentagon: Some Colombian Suspects Arrested in Moise Assassination
Investigation Received US Military Training

Sandra Lemaire

   WASHINGTON - Some of the Colombian nationals detained by the Haitian
   National police in connection with the assassination of President
   Jovenel Moise took part in "U.S. military training and education
   programs,"aPentagon spokespersonconfirmed inastatement emailed to VOA.

   The information came to light during a review of training databases,Lt.
   Col Ken Hoffmansaid, without specifying when or where the training took
   place.

   "Our review is ongoing, so we do not have additional details at this
   time," Hoffman said.The development wasfirst reportedbyThe Washington
   Post.

   According to the Pentagon, the U.S.DefenseDepartment trains thousands
   of military people from South America, Central America and the
   Caribbean each year.

   Hoffmansaidthe training is focused on "respect for human rights,
   compliance with the rule of law, and militaries subordinate to
   democratically elected civilian leadership."

   Haitian National Police Chief Leon Charles said police have arrested 18
   Colombians in connection with theassassination.

   Moise was shot and killed during an attack inside his private
   residence, located in a wealthy suburb of Port-au Prince, in the
   pre-dawn hours of July 7. His wife, Martine, who was injured in the
   attack,is recovering after undergoing surgery at a Miami,
   Florida,hospital. Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph told reporters
   he has spoken to Mrs. Moise multiple times and that she is doing well.
   US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, meets with Colombian Vice
   President and Foreign Minister, Marta Lucia Ramirez, at the US State
   Department in Washington on May 28, 2021.

   Colombian government on 'mercenaries'
   In New York, Colombia's Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs
   Marta Lucia Ramirez denounced the involvement of Colombian nationals in
   the Moise assassination after a United Nations Security Council meeting
   Tuesday.

   "Let me say that the Colombian government, but also the judiciary
   system,is working with the Judiciary and intelligence from other
   countries in order to help the Haitian state to identify all the
   responsibilities in this crime -- in this major crime," Ramirez told
   reporters, adding that her country alsoisworking with the International
   Criminal Police Organization, Interpol.

   "And of course, we are helping Interpol in order to have all the
   information, the track record about the time when they lived in
   Colombia, all the information about their communications, everything in
   order to clarify this horrible crime," Ramirez said. "Everybody who is
   involved, everybody who was a physical or intellectual actor of this
   crime must bepunished, andmust be punished with an extreme and very
   high capacity of international justice and the Colombian justice and
   others."

   New arrests
   In Port-au-Prince Thursday, Haiti's national police announced the
   arrest of two additional suspects in connection with the assassination
   of President Moise.

   Police identified them as Haitians ReynaldoCorvingtonand Gilbert
   Dragon. Police say they found a cache of weapons at the homes of both
   suspects that included AR-15 rifles, automatic weapons, pistols and
   hunting rifles. Three hand grenades were found atCorvington'sresidence,
   a police statement says.

   Additionally,national police issued a new arrest warrant for Désir
   Gordon Phenil. A statement posted on PNH's official Facebook page says
   Phenil was responsible for renting cars, coordinating meetings with the
   "mercenaries" and buying equipment.

   On Wednesday, Dimitri Herard, head of security at the national palace,
   was taken into custody.

   VOA Creole reporters say Herard was scheduled to appear before a court
   inquiry in Port-au-Prince earlierWednesday butfailed to do so.
   U.S. President Joe Biden meets with his Attorney General Merrick
   Garland, law enforcement officials, and community leaders to discuss
   gun violence reduction strategies at the White House in Washington,
   July 12, 2021.

   U.S. President Joe Biden has condemned the assassination. The president
   dispatched a special delegation to Haiti to assist with the
   investigation. The delegation includes officials from the State
   Department, Homeland Security, the Justice Department and the National
   Security Council.

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