4 of Haiti President Jovenel Moise's 'Presumed Assassins' Killed, 2 Arrested by Police

Haitian authorities said they had arrested and killed some of the "presumed assassins" responsible for the murder of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise.

Jovenel Moise was killed in an assassinated attack at his home in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, July 7. Haiti's Communications Secretary Frantz Exantus announced the arrest on Twitter, adding that the details of the apprehension would follow, The New York Times reported.

The president's wife, Martine Moise, was also shot during the assassination, the interim prime minister Claude Joseph said in a statement. Martine Moise was transferred to a hospital in southern Florida for treatment.

Joseph said a group of unidentified people attacked the private residence of Jovenel Moise. He added that some of the members of the group were speaking Spanish.

Haitian officials said in a press conference that two were arrested while police fatally shot four suspects, Axios reported.

Meanwhile, the three police officers held hostage by the suspected gunmen were freed, according to the chief of Haiti's National Police, Leon Charles. Police and military forces are in control of the security, according to Joseph.

The Haitian ambassador to the United States, Bocchit Edmond, said foreign mercenaries and professional killers executed the attack, Associated Press reported.

Edmond added that the killers disguised themselves as U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents.

Upheaval in Haiti

Before Jovenel Moise was assassinated, organized crime leader Jimmy Cherizier called on gangs to take on the government over its failures to address poverty.

Jean-Max Bellerive, a former Haitian prime minister, said that what happened looks like execution and not a coup d'état, Business Insider reported.

Bellerive noted that it could start looking like a coup d'état if the interim prime minister starts taking charge of everything without trying to achieve consensus.

The Dominican Republic said that it was closing the border and ramping up its security.

Political Turmoil in Haiti

The main opposition parties said they were greatly dismayed about the killing, adding that it condemns the heinous crime against democratic principles.

Alex Dupuy, a Haiti-born sociologist at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, said that Joseph is likely to lead Haiti for now.

Governments in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe expressed their concern about Haiti's situation. The president was killed after he nominated Ariel Henry as the new prime minister.

Joseph said he had spoken three times with Henry, and they agreed that Joseph would be in charge for now. Joseph said that he was the one who was a prime minister in office, noting that this is what the law and constitution state.

However, Henry appears to be in contrast to what Joseph was saying. AP News reported that Henry said there was a bit of confusion and that he is the prime minister in office.

Opposition leaders had claimed Jovenel Moise was seeking to increase his power, which includes approving a decree that limited the powers of a court that audits government contracts.

Jovenel Moise was also reportedly seeking to create an intelligence agency that answers only to the president.

Gang violence was also increasing in Port-au-Prince, with food and fuel becoming scarcer. The country has 60 percent of the population making less than $2 a day.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by Mary Webber

WATCH: Haiti President Jovenel Moise Assassinated By 'Highly Trained and Heavily Armed Group' - From CNBC Television