Four men have been sent to the United States to face charges after they allegedly being involved in the murder of the president of Haiti, Jovenel Moise.
On July 7, 2021, President Moise was assassinated at his home in the capital of Haiti by what the police described as a hit squad made up primarily of foreign mercenaries.
One of the suspects is Colombian, and three of the suspects are dual US-Haitian citizens.
Later on Wednesday, they are scheduled to appear in a Miami federal court.
The investigation being conducted into President Moise’s assassination in Haiti has stalled, with investigators and judges receiving death threats. But as the plan to kill Mr Moise was allegedly hatched by Haitian-Americans in Florida, investigations are proceeding in the US.
The transfer of the four men from Haiti to Florida has brought the total number of suspects in US custody to seven.
Three of those who moved to the US have been charged with conspiracy to murder President Moise. The fourth, Christian Sanon, was charged with smuggling bullet-proof vests to Haiti for use in the plot.
Those charged with conspiracy to commit murder are:
Prosecutors allege that James Solages and Christian Sanon met in Florida in April 2021 to discuss “regime change” in Haiti.
According to police in Haiti, Mr Sanon, a Haitian-American doctor and pastor, had “political objectives” to replace Mr Moise as president.
Haiti’s police chief at the time of President Moise’s killing also said that Mr Sanon was the first person one of the assailants called as police surrounded them after the murder.
In a statement, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) said that while Mr Sanon had not been charged with conspiracy to murder, he “participated in crimes that culminated in the assassination of the Haitian president”.
According to the DoJ, James Solages, Joseph Vincent and Germán Rivera had originally planned to kidnap President Moise and take him to an unknown location while a new president was installed in his stead.
But when they failed to get a plane to take the Mr Moise away, they allegedly changed their plan.
“It is alleged that on July 6, 2021, Solages, Vincent, Rivera and others met at a house near President Moise’s residence, where firearms and equipment was distributed and Solages announced that the mission was to kill President Moise,” the DoJ statement said.
The other man, German Alejandro Rivera, is suspected of having recruited the Colombian mercenaries who made up the hit squad hired for the purpose.
All four men were arrested in Haiti shortly after President Moise’s assassination and been held in the Caribbean nation until their transfer on Tuesday.
If found guilty, Mr Sanon could face up to 20 years in jail while the three other suspect could be sentenced to life in prison.
The political void left by the killings has led to a surge in violence and lawlessness across Haiti.