Several of the men arrested in Haitian president’s assassination had ties to US law enforcement: reports

• Several of the men arrested in connection to the president’s assassination, had ties to US law enforcement, according to CNN.
• Haitian authorities arrested two Haitian American men and 26 Colombian men last week.
• On Sunday, police arrested another Florida-based Haitian American who is accused of being the mastermind behind the attack.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

Several of the men arrested in connection to last week’s assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse, had ties to US law enforcement, according to Reuters and CNN.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration confirmed to Insider that at least one of the men arrested by Haitian authorities previously worked as an informant for the DEA.

“At times, one of the suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was a confidential source to the DEA,” the DEA said in a statement to Insider. “Following the assassination of President Moïse, 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 US State Department official, provided information to the Haitian government that assisted in the surrender and arrest of the suspect and one other individual.”

Video footage of the moments leading up to the assassination show someone saying “this is a DEA operation” multiple times through a megaphone. The agency told Insider that none of the attackers were working on behalf of the DEA.

People familiar with the matter told CNN that others involved in the assassination also had US ties, including working as informants for the FBI.

The FBI did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

Reuters reported that one of the two Haitian-American men arrested last week had ties to US law enforcement.

Haitian authorities arrested Joseph Vincent and James Solages last Thursday in connection to the shocking murder of Moïse early Wednesday morning. The two American men were described as being of Haitian descent.

Vincent and Solages, both from Florida, were charged, along with 26 Colombians in the attack that left Moïse dead and his wife, Martine Moïse, in critical condition.

A Haitian judge said on Friday that Vincent and Solages claimed they were only serving as translators for the hit squad and were not in the room when the shooting took place.

Solages said he found a job listing online to translate for the commandos.

According to Reuters, Solages described himself in past online statements as a “certified diplomatic agent” and the former “chief commander of bodyguards” for Haiti’s Canadian embassy.

The US government source that told Reuters about the law enforcement connection did not specify which of the two men had ties to an American agency and did not provide any details about the nature of the relationship, the outlet reported.

The news comes one day after a third Haitian-American, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, was arrested on Sunday and accused of being the mastermind behind the attack. Sanon, 63, is a Florida-based doctor, who Haitian officials say recruited assailants to aid his “political motives.”

The attack has led to a power vacuum in the already struggling country, where at least four men have since claimed to be the leader of Haiti.

On Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that FBI and Department of Homeland Security agents would be sent to Haiti as soon as possible to help provide security and investigative assistance.

The motive for the brazen assassination remains unclear.