US federal authorities arrested and charged a former Colombian military soldier for his alleged role in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in July in Port-au-Prince, Politico reports.
Mario Antonio Palacios was arrested in Jamaica in October and he was being extradited to his native Colombia on Monday when he was detained by Panamanian officials while changing flights in that country. Officials informed him that he would be extradited to the United States, which had made arrangements with Colombia and Jamaica to facilitate charging him.
Palacios is one of twelve former Colombian soldiers who participated in the assassination mission. The Colombian government has cooperated with the investigation by Haiti and the United States, and it has said that after questioning the suspects, it appears they were duped into thinking the mission was a protection detail. More than 40 people have been detained in the course of the investigation.