U.S. arrests, charges suspect in Haitian president slaying

Court docket-appointed lawyer Alfredo Izaguirre informed U.S. Justice of the Peace Choose Alicia Otazo-Reyes that he beneficial Palacios keep in detention as a result of he has no immigration standing, family members or ties to the US. The choose ordered detention, saying he could be vulnerable to fleeing.

Palacios is scheduled to seem in court docket once more on Jan. 31. Izaguirre mentioned his shopper would most likely plead not responsible on the preliminary listening to.

Palacios was arrested in Jamaica in October and was scheduled to fly to his native Colombia on Monday. Nonetheless, Interpol notified Palacios throughout a stopover in Panama that the U.S. authorities was extraditing him, mentioned Gen. Jorge Luis Vargas, director of Colombia’s police.

He mentioned that Colombia, Jamaica and the U.S. have been in contact to coordinate the deportation and extradition of Palacios to the U.S.

The U.S. Division of Justice mentioned in a press launch that Palacios agreed to journey to the U.S. throughout his layover in Panama.

Interpol had issued a purple alert for Palacios on charges together with tried homicide, armed theft and conspiracy based mostly on a request from the Haitian authorities.

The workplace of Haiti’s prime minister issued a short assertion, saying solely that it wished justice to prevail in the July 7 assassination of Moïse at his non-public residence. The workplace didn’t reply to extra questions together with whether or not the federal government was nonetheless looking for to cost Palacios or extradite him to Haiti.

Former Haitian Prime Minister Claude Joseph mentioned the U.S. taking custody of Palacios was a step in the correct course, however he urged native authorities to work with the U.S. to extradite him so he can face justice in Haiti.

Palacios was one in all greater than a dozen former Colombian troopers accused in the slaying of Moïse. The Colombian authorities has mentioned that almost all of the ex-soldiers have been duped and thought they have been on a legit mission to offer safety and that only some knew it was a felony mission.

Greater than 40 suspects have been detained, together with 19 former Colombian troopers. Amongst them is Palacios, who was a member of Colombia’s army for 20 years.

Related Press reporters Dánica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Eric Tucker in Washington, D.C.; and Harold Isaac in Port-au-Prince, Haiti contributed to this report.