The US has charged a retired Colombian commando with involvement in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, making him the first suspect to face charges in the country.
According to federal prosecutors, Mario Palacios was apprehended at a Panamanian airport on Monday and was brought to Miami after previously promising to assist with US law police. He was charged with planning to kidnap or kill someone outside the United States when he appeared before a federal court on Tuesday. He was not reprimanded in custody.
Colombian suspect may plead not guilty in Haiti President's assassination
Per NY Times, Palacios's lawyer, Alfredo Izaguirre, predicted that the client would most likely plead not guilty at a pre-trial session planned for later this month. He might receive a life sentence, according to the US Attorney's Office.
Based on conversations with their families and Haitian police, Palacios, 43, was one of two dozen veteran Colombian military special forces personnel who came to Haiti as private security contractors recruited by a Miami-based organization named CTU Security between May and June.
According to Haitian police, the US Department of Justice, and Colombian intelligence, their purpose progressively shifted from providing protection to local guests to attacking the presidential home, resulting in Moise's death.
Haitian President's wife Martine Moise, who was injured in the incident, said Moise was killed down in his bedroom on July 7 by assassins who spoke Spanish. However, the specific identities of the assassins, the circumstances surrounding Moise's death, and the plot's final mastermind remain unclear although it appears to have been organized in part in the United States.
Palacios might be able to offer some light on some of these issues. According to the first investigative report by Haitian police, he was one of five Colombian ex-soldiers who were part of the "Delta Team" who entered his home during the attack.
Haiti PM urges local authorities to work with the US
He was the only one of his comrades to flee Haitian police after the attack. He ultimately made his way to Jamaica, where he was apprehended for breaking immigration regulations. According to an affidavit released in Miami on Tuesday, Palacios opted to cooperate with US law officials in Jamaica, delivering various written statements.
Per USA Today, the prime minister's office released a short statement, stating merely that it hoped for justice in the killing of Moise at his private property on July 7. Additional queries, such as whether the government was still attempting to prosecute Palacios or deport him to Haiti, were not answered by the office.
Former Haitian Prime Minister Claude Joseph said the United States taking custody of Palacios was a positive move, but he asked local authorities to work with the US to extradite him so he could face justice in his own country.
Palacios was one of over a dozen former Colombian soldiers charged with Moise's murder. According to the Colombian authorities, the bulk of the ex-soldiers were tricked into believing they were on a legal mission to offer safety, with only a handful realizing it was a criminal expedition. More than 40 people, including 19 former Colombian military, have been apprehended. Palacios, a 20-year veteran of Colombia's military, is one of them.
According to the Justice Department, Palacios traveled to the United States on June 28, 2021, with a co-conspirator to seek assistance in carrying out the killing. Palacios's travel companion, a Haitian-American citizen, was apprehended by Haitian police and is now being held there.
Palacios escaped arrest, according to US officials, and fled to Jamaica. He consented to fly to the United States after being deported from Jamaica and during a stopover in Panama, as per Big News Network.
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