18 suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise have been extradited to the United States and will face trial in a federal court in Florida, the Associated Press and Reuters reported.
Among those extradited are 17 Colombian soldiers and Joseph Badio, a former official in the anti-corruption unit of Haiti's justice ministry. The American investigation identifies him as a key organizer of the crime, and his lawyers claim that he prepared the plan according to which the arrest of the president was supposed to serve as a cover for the assassination.
According to the publications, the Colombian military stated during their interrogations in Haiti that they were part of a plan for a coup, not for an assassination. They also claim that they were beaten, threatened with death and forced to sign documents in a language they did not understand.
The federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida, Jason Redding Quinones, said that a total of 30 people had been charged in the case of Moise's murder. According to him, the investigation is ongoing and the American authorities will hold accountable all those who financed, assisted or carried out the attack.
The FBI confirmed that arrests were made on Sunday both in the United States and abroad. US authorities have not publicly released all the names of those extradited at this stage.
Moise was shot dead in his home on July 7, 2021. After the murder, Haiti entered a deep political crisis, and the trial in the country was blocked due to threats against magistrates and security chaos, the Associated Press notes.
According to data cited in the same publications, in May 2026, a Florida jury found four men guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, and at least five more defendants have already pleaded guilty and are serving life sentences.
The extradition marks a new stage in the case, which has been divided between Haitian and American justice since 2021. Some of the remaining suspects are still awaiting trial, including former Haitian Senator Jean-Joël Joseph and other figures mentioned in the Associated Press and Reuters reports.
Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, FBI, U.S. Department of Justice