Seventeen suspects have been arrested by Haitian authorities after the violent and daring assassination of Jovenel Moise, who was the president of Haiti. The killing occurred in the early morning hours of Wednesday when the late president and the First Lady were at their residence in Port-au-Prince. Two of the suspects have been identified as having dual citizenship of America and Haiti. They have been identified as Joseph Vincent and James Solages.

On Friday, a Haitian judge spoke to the New York Times. He said that the Americans were not in the room when the late president was killed. Clement Noel, one of the judges who is a part of the investigation, interviewed both of them after they were arrested. He said that they were translators for the hit squad and were not injured in the assault.

He also provided further details which mentioned that the plot was in the making from a month and the team used to meet at an upscale hotel in Petionville, which is a suburban area in Port-au-Prince. He also said that the squad had sent a message that their aim was to bring President Moise to the national palace and not to kill him.

The judge said that it was Mr. Solages who shouted that they were U.S. DEA agents on the speaker but also mentioned that his replies were evasive. Solages said that he had been in Haiti for a month and found the job to translate for the hit squad, online. Records show that he lived in Broward County, Florida. He said that he was the president of a small charity Jacmel First. State corporation records report that he owned a maintenance company.

Mr. Vincent told the judge that he was staying with a cousin in Haiti from three months. He also said that someone called Mike, who spoke both Spanish and English was the main plotter. Neither of the two suspects would mention amount they were paid. Most of the others in the hit squad who were killed or arrested were Colombians, who had retired from the military.