ANKARA, TURKEY – Turkish authorities have issued a 40-day detention warrant for a man considered a suspect in the July 7 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise and brought him into his home. prison in Istanbul, Turkey’s state news agency reported.
The suspect, businessman Samir Handal, was detained at Istanbul Airport early Monday morning while in transit from the United States to Jordan, Anadolu Agency reported. His arrest was announced by the authorities in Haiti.
Haitian Foreign Minister Claude Joseph said on Twitter that he had spoken with his Turkish counterpart about Handal’s arrest. Joseph did not provide further information, including whether Haiti was seeking the man’s extradition.
Anadolu agency said Handal was wanted on an Interpol notice and was detained by airport police upon arrival in Istanbul. He was then questioned by court officials, who issued the 40-day detention order requested by the Turkish Ministry of Justice, the report said.
He is currently in Istanbul’s Maltepe prison, the agency reported.
Handal has been mentioned as a suspect in a plot to kill the Haitian president, although the government has not released any specific details about his alleged involvement.
So far, more than 40 suspects have been arrested in the president’s murder, including 18 former Colombian soldiers and several Haitian police officers. Colombian authorities say most of their former soldiers do not know the true nature of the operation they were hired to take part in.
In October, another Colombian man was also arrested in Jamaica.
Moise was shot dead and his wife wounded in a pre-dawn attack at his home.
The president’s killing has deepened political unrest in the country, which has since been trying to recover from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 2,200 people in the western region. south of Haiti in mid-August, increased gang-related and serious violence. lack of fuel.
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