TAIPEI – Taiwan today said 11 suspected assassins of Haitian President Jovenel Moise broke into its embassy in an attempt to flee, but were later apprehended by police.
Joanne Ou, a spokesman for the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry, said the embassy was closed “for safety reasons” after the brazen murder of Moise on Wednesday.
“At dawn on the 8th (of July), embassy security discovered that a group of armed men had broken into the embassy courtyard. Security staff immediately notified embassy personnel and Haitian police,” she told AFP.
“At the request of the Haitian government and to assist in apprehending the suspects, the embassy granted permission to Haitian police to enter embassy grounds.”
In a statement posted on its website, Taiwan’s embassy in Port-au-Prince described the men as “mercenaries” and suspects in Moise’s assassination.
“Police launched an operation around 4pm (2000 GMT on Thursday) and arrested 11 suspects. The process went smoothly,” said the statement, describing the killing as “cruel and barbaric”.
Haiti is one of just 15 nations that diplomatically recognise Taiwan over China. Most of them are small countries in Latin America and the Pacific.
Taipei’s embassy in Port-au-Prince lies close to the hillside private residence where Moise was gunned down. – AFP, July 9, 2021
