Getty Haiti's president with his wife and the scene outside their house.
The assassins of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse falsely claimed to be U.S. DEA agents on video, which you can watch later in this article. The DEA stands for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Disclose.tv shared a video that has been viewed more than 140,000 times on Twitter and wrote, “Assailants of Haiti’s president and his wife ‘identified’ themselves to be agents with the United States: ‘DEA operation. Everybody stand down. DEA operation.’ Government official thinks the assassins were mercenaries.”
The assassins were not really DEA agents but are believed to be mercenaries, according to The Miami Herald. The Herald reported that the attack occurred around 1 a.m. at the president’s private home. A State Department official in the U.S. also told the Herald that the assassins were not really working for the DEA.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Gunmen Said, ‘This is a DEA Operation..You Guys Better Not Shoot’
To avoid any misunderstandings, here is a translation of the assailants of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise, and his wife Martine Moise, claiming to be DEA agents…
Above you can watch a translated version of the video.
“This is a DEA operation,” it reads. “You guys better not shoot. Do not shoot at the men. The men are not your enemy. This is an operation. This is an operation – DEA. Everybody go go go, everybody go. Everybody do not shoot. You guys better not shoot. Move it guys – keep going. Guys if you do not leave, the operators will shoot you in the leg. This is a DEA operation. Guys keep walking down. If you don’t keep walking down, they will shoot at you.”
GettyMembers of the Haitian police and forensics mark a bullet on the street as they look for evidence outside of the presidential residence on July 7, 2021 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
According to AP, the president was shot and killed at his home on July 7. His wife was shot and wounded. The AP reported that the president was murdered by a “squad of gunmen.”
GettyFace coverings are seen on the street as members of the Haitian police and forensics look for evidence outside of the presidential residence on July 7, 2021 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
The Herald reported that one of the gunmen spoke English “with an American accent.” According to the Herald, the attack included high-powered rounds, drones, a grenade and men dressed in black seen running through the neighborhood.
Another Video Showed Armed Men Outside the President’s Home
#Haiti President Jovenel Moïse is said to have been attacked in his residence by a commando. He’s dead.
Video circulating on WhatsApp.
Video from the scene showed heavily armed men outside the president’s compound.
President Joe Biden told the media before his Marine One Departure on July 7, 2021, “We need a lot more information, but it’s just — it’s very worrisome about the state of Haiti.”
The police and military were controlling the country’s security in the wake of the assassination, according to The Associated Press.
Bocchit Edmond, the Haitian ambassador to the United States, told the AP that the attack “was carried out by foreign mercenaries and professional killers — well-orchestrated,” who pretended to be DEA agents. According to AP, the DEA does have a presence in Haiti’s capital to “assist the government in counternarcotics programs.”
GettyBullet holes are seen in a car outside of the presidential residence on July 7, 2021 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. – Haiti President Jovenel Moise was assassinated and his wife wounded early July 7, 2021 in an attack at their home,
The gunmen spoke both Spanish and English, according to the AP. According to the Herald, the president was supported by the U.S. but was criticized on multiple fronts before his death. Prime Minister Claude Joseph has assumed control of Haiti, according to CNN. Joseph said, according to CNN, that “a group of unidentified individuals, some of whom were speaking in Spanish” attacked and killed the president.
CNN reported that the country was in chaos even before his death with a basically defunct Parliament and escalating criminal violence and a dispute over the end date for the president’s term.
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