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Haiti president assassination suspect was confidential DEA source, official says

DEA official says suspect had worked with the agency in the past but was not acting on its behalf during the attack

Ronn Blitzer By Ronn Blitzer , Mark Meredith Fox News
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One suspect linked to the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse had been a confidential source for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, a DEA official told Fox News.

Following Moïse's death, there had been reports that someone had yelled "DEA" at the time of the assassination. The official said the agency was aware of those reports, and that while the suspect in question contacted the DEA after the attack, they were not acting on the DEA's behalf.

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"Following the assassination of President Moïse, the suspect reached out to his contacts at the DEA. A DEA official assigned to Haiti urged the suspect to surrender to local authorities and, along with a U.S. State Department official, provided information to the Haitian government that assisted in the surrender and arrest of the suspect and one other individual."

The official did not name the suspect in question. So far, 26 former Colombian soldiers are suspected in the killing, and 23 have been arrested, along with three Haitians. Haitian National Police chief Léon Charles said five suspects are still at large and at least three have been killed.

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On Monday, authorities announced the arrest of Christian Emmanuel Sanon, one of three suspects with ties to the U.S. Charles said that after the assassination, one suspect called Sanon, who got in touch with two people believed to be masterminds of the plot. He did not identify them or say if police know who they are.

  • Image 1 of 2

    Haitian police officers that escort the former Senators, Youri Latortue and Steven Benoit to the courthouse in Port-au-Prince, Monday, July 12, 2021. Prosecutors have requested that high-profile politicians like Latortue and Benoit meet officials for questioning as part of the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn) (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)

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    FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2020, file photo, Haiti's President Jovenel Moise speaks during an interview at his home in Petion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Sources say Moise was assassinated at home, first lady hospitalized amid political instability. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery, File) (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery, File)

Charles also said that officers found a hat with the logo of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, 20 boxes of bullets, gun parts, four license plates from the Dominican Republic, two cars and correspondence, among other things, in Sanon's house in Haiti.

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The U.S. Justice Department said Monday that they will assist in the investigation at the request of the Haitian government.

Fox News' Peter Aitken and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ronn Blitzer is an editor for Fox News Digital covering politics and breaking news. 

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