A pastor from Boston, Massachusetts reportedly warned that "no one is exempt from violence" following the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse last July 7.
Christian News Now reported that Boston-based Reverend Dieufort Fleurissaint, a renowned advocate of Haitian Americans, said in a weekly prayer meeting that Moïse's assassination has led many Haitians to fear "for their lives." Fleurrissaint, who is Vice President of True Alliance Center and Chair of Haitian Americans United, has been living in the United States since he was 18.
"To kill and assassinate a president in his home just shows the level of insecurity in the country and how no one is exempt from the violence. It's unacceptable," the Associated Press quoted Fleurissaint in saying during the prayer meeting.
"The situation is dire. We're praying for peace in Haiti," he added.
The 59-year-old Voice of the Tabernacle Church Executive Pastor has also instructed family and friends in Haiti to stay home in the event of "reprisals and unrest" due to the president's assassination.
The New York Times reported that Moïse was attacked by a group of assailants who stormed his home in the outskirts of Port-au-Prince at night. The president died from the series of shooting, which also wounded his wife. Investigators said the attack was "well-planned." Haiti is now in a "state of siege" with Claude Joseph as interim prime minister.
Moïse was reported to have died from a dozen lethal gun shots, the Christian News Now said. Moïse's daughter, Jomarlie, was able to hide in the bedroom of her brother during the attack. While her brother was tied with the maid but was not hurt. Another sibling was not at home during the attack. The group of attackers comprised ten men, six of which have been arrested by the Haitian National Police while four have been killed. One is said to be a citizen of the United States.
As per BBC, the key suspects of the assassination has been arrested on Tuesday. The suspects were "foreign mercernaries" that included a 63-year-old Haitian national by the name of Christian Emmanuel Sanon. BBC said a delegation of security and justice officials from the United States arrived in Haiti to help assess the situation while the president's wife was flown in to the United States for treatment.
New suspects on the assassination has surfaced on Wednesday, as per The Guardian, that included a former opposition senator, a convicted smuggler of cocaine, and a dismissed government official.
Haiti was given a Level 4 warning by the United States Department of State Travel Advisory in 2020, which meant it is one of the places banned by for travel by Americans. The Department said the high incidence of crime, kidnappings, and civil unrest.
"Kidnapping is widespread and victims regularly include U.S. citizens. Kidnappers may use sophisticated planning or take advantage of unplanned opportunities, and even convoys have been attacked. Kidnapping cases often involve ransom negotiations and U.S. citizen victims have been physically harmed during kidnappings. Victim's families have paid thousands of dollars to rescue their family members," the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs said in the Travel Advisory.
"Violent crime, such as armed robbery and carjacking, is common. Travelers are sometimes followed and violently attacked and robbed shortly after leaving the Port-au-Prince international airport," it added. "Protests, demonstrations, tire burning, and roadblocks are frequent, unpredictable, and can turn violent."
