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| Caribbean-Latin America | ||||
| Inside the Taiwanese embassy siege in Haiti | ||||
| 2021-07-11 | ||||
The guard’s harrowing ordeal – during which he concealed himself, undetected, in a Toyota RAV4 with tinted windows for 18 hours as he helped guide police outside on retaking the building – was recounted to The Globe and Mail by a source in Haiti with direct knowledge of the situation. Police have arrested 15 men in connection with the assassination, and killed at least four others in gun battles. Nine more are still being sought. The 28-man hit squad was made up primarily of Colombian mercenaries, with two Haitian-Americans, Haiti’s National Police said.
Shortly before 9:45 p.m. that evening, the lone security guard was on duty at the Taiwanese embassy, roughly two kilometres from Mr. Moïse’s home, when 11 of the suspects arrived, the source said. The security guard, who was armed with a shotgun, decided he could not fend off the commandos alone. He took cover in a vehicle as the men burst into the compound, the source said. Because of the vehicle’s tinted windows, the gunmen did not see him.
At 1 a.m., police surrounded the building and threw tear gas inside but were unsuccessful in flushing the gunmen out. The standoff continued overnight and through the next day. The Haitian National Police unit in charge of diplomatic security reviewed plans of the chancellery, the source said. Members of the presidential guard were also involved in the operation. Under international diplomatic protocol, police also had to secure the permission of the Taiwanese government to enter the building. After Taiwan’s officials gave them the green light, police captured the compound at 3:25 p.m. Thursday and arrested the men without resistance. The security guard, a Haitian national, was finally able to emerge from the vehicle around this time. In a statement, the government of Taiwan said it had authorized Haitian police to breach its embassy. “The embassy welcomes the rapid reaction of the Haitian authorities and continues, as always, to work alongside the Haitian people,” read the statement, which denounced the “cruel and barbaric” slaying of Mr. Moïse as “a major international event that has shocked the whole world.” A video circulated on social media in Haiti shows the 11 men arrested at the Taiwanese embassy bloodied and bruised, wearing jeans and combat boots. In the video, the group is sitting on the floor of a military base, their hands tied behind their backs, surrounded by soldiers in combat fatigues. Related: Haiti: 2021-07-10 Update - Two US fellas involved in Moïse shooting claim to be translators hired by 'Mike' Haiti: 2021-07-10 Jen Psaki: Hunter Biden has 'right' to 'artistic career' and sales won't be corrupt; Pres. Biden didn't discuss business with Hunter despite docs Haiti: 2021-07-09 The hunt for Haiti assassination suspects continues | ||||
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #4 See also here Referenced link now added, with apologies. I must have been more tired than I thought last night, because I had the link ready to attach. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2021-07-11 13:06 |
| #3 Per Richard Fernandez, Moise had been dead an hour before the Colombian mercs arrived. More curious than ever... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2021-07-11 11:17 |
| #2 And my wife wonders why I always have an empty Gatorade bottle in the car.... |
| Posted by: Bangkok Billy 2021-07-11 05:43 |
| #1 No, the Columbian mercenaries come from those fighting the reds. Nobody else would be allowed to travel internationally. |
| Posted by: Jiggs Trotsky5854 2021-07-11 00:22 |