Extradition of Suspects in Haitian President’s Assassination

Eighteen individuals accused in the July 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse are set for extradition to the U.S., ending a lengthy judicial process in Haiti. They will stand trial in Florida, as stated by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Reding Quiñones.

Quiñones emphasized the commitment to pursuing accountability. “We will follow the evidence wherever it leads,” he wrote on X. The ongoing effort seeks to hold responsible those connected to the assassination, whether through financing, facilitating, or direct involvement.

Although Quiñones did not name the suspects, the group awaiting extradition includes Colombian soldiers and a former Haitian government official. A photo from a hearing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 27, 2025, shows Colombian suspects in handcuffs.

The FBI has indicted 30 people, confirming multiple arrests in the U.S. and overseas. FBI Special Agent Brett Skiles assured that accountability remains a priority for those profiting from the head of state’s assassination.

“The extradition is part of ongoing U.S. efforts to prosecute and sentence suspects in the case,” Skiles said.

In May, a Florida jury convicted four men related to the assassination, while five others agreed to guilty pleas and received life sentences. The men convicted include Arcángel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages, who all pled not guilty but were proven guilty of conspiracy and material support for the plot.

Martine Moïse, the ex-first lady, wounded during the assassination, offered emotional testimony in Miami’s federal court in March. She accused former President Michel Martelly and ex-Prime Minister Ariel Henry of involvement in her husband’s murder, which led to her own indictment in Haiti on charges of complicity and criminal association in 2024. Her lawyer condemned these charges as “ridiculous and unjust.”