World

4th police officer arrested in connection with killing of Haitian president

Haitian police said Friday that a fourth officer has been arrested in the killing of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7.

More than two dozen people arrested since assassination of Jovenel Moïse

Artists paint a mural.
Artists paint murals in tribute to Haiti's slain president, Jovenel Moïse, in Cap-Haïtien earlier this month. Police have arrested at least 27 people in the wake of the Haitian leader's assassination. (Valerie Baeriswyl/AFP/Getty Images)

Haitian police said Friday that a fourth officer has been arrested in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

National Police spokesperson Marie-Michelle Verrier said a total of 27 people have been arrested and others are still being sought in connection with the July 7 attack at the president's home.

Another nine officers were being held in isolation for questioning — apparently among a total of 44 people held to determine what responsibility they may have had in the killing or to determine if they were negligent in their duties.

Authorities also asked for help from the general public.

'Help us find these people'

"Everyone the police is looking for, we are asking the population for help.... Give your participation, help us find these people," Verrier said. She also mentioned there was a "big" reward for anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of suspects, but she did not specify the amount of the reward.

A television vendor watches a live broadcast of Moïse's funeral earlier this month in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He was killed in his private residence on July 7. (Joseph Odelyn/The Associated Press)

On Monday, Haitian police arrested Jean Laguel Civil, who served as general security co-ordinator when Moïse was killed in the middle of the night at his private residence.

Eighteen of those formally arrested are former Colombian soldiers. Police are still looking for various suspects, including a former rebel leader and an ex-Haitian senator. On Monday, they identified another suspect: Superior Court Judge Windelle Coq-Thélot.

But it remains unclear who organized and financed the plot, which included recruiting former Colombian special forces soldiers and at least two Florida-based companies.