News Desk

LONDON: A group of 28 foreign mercenaries, including retired Colombian soldiers, assassinated Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse earlier this week, police say.

After a gun battle in the capital Port-au-Prince, 17 were detained, some at the house they were using, others after entering Taiwan’s diplomatic compound.

Three suspects were killed by police and eight are still being sought.

Bloodied and bruised, arrested suspects were shown to the media on Thursday, along with a slew of seized weapons.

It is still unclear who organised the attack and with what motive.

The attack took place in the early hours of Wednesday, when gunmen broke into the president’s home in Port-au-Prince, shooting him dead and wounding his wife. Mr Moïse, 53, was found lying on his back with 12 bullet wounds and a gouged eye, according to authorities.

Martine Moïse, 47, was seriously wounded and is in a stable condition after being flown to Florida for treatment.