US Arrests Four New Suspects in Plot to Assassinate Haitian President Jovenel Moise

The late President of Haiti Jovenel Moise. (Instagram/jovenelmoise)

JAKARTA - United States federal agents have arrested and charged four suspects in Florida with alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate Haitian President Jovenel Moise in 2021, authorities said Tuesday.

The assassination of President Moise left a political vacuum in the Caribbean nation, emboldening the powerful gangs that serve as the de facto authority in much of the nation's capital, Port-au-Prince.

So far, eleven people have been in United States custody, charged by a South Florida grand jury in connection with the murder, according to the Department of Justice, reported Reuters, February 15.

Three of the new defendants, namely Antonio "Tony" Intriago (owner of Counter Terrorist Unit Security or CTU), Arcangel Pretel Ortiz (operator of a Federal Academy LLC affiliated with CTU), and Walter Veintemilla (head of the Miramar-based Worldwide Capital Lending Group), were charged. supported a conspiracy to kidnap or kill the President of Haiti, US authorities said in a briefing.

A fourth defendant, Frederick Bergmann, is accused of conspiring to smuggle ballistic vests for the former Colombian soldier who is suspected of fatally shooting Moise, the officials added.

Their investigation has focused on the weapons, ballistic vests, and financing used in the deadly plot.

Intriago is a Venezuelan-American businessman, while Pretel Ortiz is a Colombian-American national. Both are being held in South Florida, the Justice Department told reporters.

Meanwhile, Veintemilla, a US citizen, lent CTU Security more than $170,000 to finance their operations in Haiti, the officials added.

The arrests and charges were reported earlier Tuesday by the Miami Herald and the New York Times. Lawyers for Intriago told the New York Times he intends to plead not guilty at his bail hearing on Tuesday.

The Haitian gang have expanded their territory since the assassination. The resulting violence has kept large areas of the country 'off limits' to the government and has led to regular shootouts with police.

In October, the United Nations suggested a "rapid action force" be sent to Haiti, to combat escalating violence from armed gangs that has left hundreds dead and thousands displaced.

The latest arrests in the United States come a day before leaders of the Caribbean bloc, CARICOM, are due to meet for a three-day conference, where the situation in Haiti is expected to be one of the top issues.