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Two US Citizens Among Group Held Over Assassination of Jovenel Moise

According to the Sky News the chief of Haiti's national police has said two US citizens are among 28 people detained over the assassination of Haiti's president.
Jovenel Moise, 53, was shot dead by suspected mercenaries at his home in Port-au-Prince, the capital of the impoverished Caribbean island, in the early hours of Wednesday.
Officials have said the attack was carried out by "a highly trained and heavily armed group", whose members spoke Spanish or English.
National Police chief Charles Leon paraded 17 of the suspects in front of a journalists at a news conference on Friday alongside passports, assault rifles, machetes and hammers being used as evidence in the case.
Sky News reported him as saying that two Haitian-Americans were among those arrested over Mr Moise's murder, including one who used to work as a bodyguard at the Canadian embassy in Port-au-Prince.
Mathias Pierre, Haiti's minister of elections, named the pair as James Solages, 35, and Joseph Vincent, 55. The US State Department said it was aware of reports of the arrests but did not confirm them.
The other 26 detained are from Colombia, Mr Charles said, adding that three other suspects were killed by police and eight are on the run.
He told reporters "Foreigners came to our country to kill the president."
First Lady Martine Moise was critically injured in the assault at the private residence and was flown to Miami for medical treatment.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the US embassy in Haiti was restricting movements of direct-hire US citizens at the site and their family members until further notice.
Two of the six suspects were arrested after a crowd found them hiding in bushes in Port-au-Prince.
Witnesses said locals grabbed the pair by their shirts and trousers, pushing them and sometimes slapping them. The two were later arrested when police arrived and were placed in the back of a truck.
Haiti's Prime Minister Claude Joseph has appealed to citizens to hand over suspects to officers and not to attack them.
Earlier on Thursday, hundreds of residents gathered outside a police station in the capital where some of those thought to be involved were being held.
People in the crowd shouted "burn them" and set fire to several abandoned cars riddled with bullet holes they believed belonged to the suspects.
At a news conference, Mr Charles asked people to stay calm, go home and let police do their work as he warned that authorities needed evidence they were destroying, including the burned cars.
Prime Minister Claude Joseph has assumed leadership of the country with the backing of police and the military.
On Thursday, he asked people to reopen businesses and go back to work as he ordered the reopening of the international airport, a day after declaring a two-week state of siege.
Wednesday's atrocity was condemned by Haiti's main opposition parties and the international community, including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
In February, Sky News Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay reported from Haiti about the violence and unrest gripping the nation.
The impoverished Caribbean country had grown increasingly unstable and disgruntled under Mr Moise's rule, bringing an eruption of protests, kidnappings and organised crime.
In recent months, opposition leaders demanded he step down, arguing that his term legally ended in February.
But Mr Moise and his supporters maintained that his term began when he took office in early 2017, since an interim government ran the country for a year after his election victory in 2016.
Mr Moise had been ruling by decree for more than a year after the country failed to hold elections, which led to parliament being dissolved in January 2020.
Haiti was scheduled to hold general elections later this year.
Source: skynews
Image source: AP-skynews
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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