July 13, 2021
A Haitian-born doctor, who was based in Florida for more than two decades, has been arrested as a central suspect in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse, according to The New York Times.
About two dozen people have been arrested as suspects, the newspaper reported, though police believe Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 63, was plotting to become president.
“He arrived by private plane in June with political objectives and contacted a private security firm to recruit the people who committed this act,” Léon Charles, Haiti’s national police chief, said during a news conference on Sunday.
The firm, called CTU Security, is a Venezuelan company based in Miami, Charles said. During a raid at Sanon’s home in Port-au-Prince, police found six rifles, 20 boxes of bullets, 24 unused shooting targets, pistol holsters and a hat with a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency logo.
“This initial mission that was given to these assailants was to protect the individual named Emmanuel Sanon, but afterwards, the mission changed,” Charles said.
The new “mission” was to arrest Moïse and install Sanon as president, The New York Times reported, though Charles didn’t explain when the mission changed to assassination or how Sanon could have taken control of the government.
Moïse was shot to death on July 7 at his home in Port-au-Prince by a “team of commandos,” according to The Washington Post. On Friday, Haiti asked to the U.S. to send troops to the country to protect its airport and key infrastructure.
The announcement of Sanon’s arrest came hours after FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials arrived in Haiti on Sunday to discuss how the U.S. can offer assistance, the newspaper reported.
Sanon has a YouTube channel with three political campaign videos from 2011, which include discussions about Haitian politics, according to Forbes. In one of the videos, titled “Dr. Christian Sanon – Leadership for Haiti,” Sanon talks about corruption in the country and presents himself as a potential leader.
Sanon lived in Florida for more than 20 years, ranging from the Tampa Bay area to South Florida, according to the Miami Herald. Public records show that he had more than a dozen businesses registered in the state, including medical services and real estate, though most are inactive.