The head of security for assassinated Haiti President Jovenel Moïse has been arrested.
Dimitri Hérard was detained today (July 15th) exactly a week after the politician was brutally shot dead in his home.
The arrest of the security chief for the presidential palace was confirmed by Marie Michelle Verrier, a spokeswoman for Haiti’s National Police.
Hérard is one of four members of the Moïse’s security staff whom prosecutors were planning to call in for questioning earlier this week.
It comes as questions remain over how the gunmen gained access to Moïse despite heavily armed guards being on duty.
Up to two dozen armed mercenaries opened fire after driving up to the president’s home in several vehicles, and entering house without any resistance.
When approached last week Hérard declined to respond to questions.
“Unfortunately, after consulting with my lawyer, I am not in a position to comment on this at the very moment as this is an open investigation and a matter of national security,” he said.
Despite Moïse, 53, having his own armed security guards, which form part of a specialised unit of the Haitian National Police, only the president and his wife were shot during the raid.
His body was found riddled with a dozen high-calibre bullets with one of his eyes shot out.
“We found twelve holes in the president’s body,” deputy justice of the peace Carl Henry Destin said.
“The president’s office and bedroom were ransacked. We found him lying on his back, blue pants (trousers), a white shirt smeared with blood, his mouth open, his left eye blown out.
“We saw a bullet impact at the level of his forehead, one in each nipple, three at the hip, one in the abdomen.”
Several of the gunmen were later killed in a shootout with police while others have since been captured.
