Phénil Gordon Désir, sought by Haiti's judicial police since July 2021 in the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, was arrested on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 28, in Pétion-Ville, Le Nouvelliste reported.

A government source told the newspaper that Désir was wanted for “the preparation and logistical support” of the plot that led to the president's killing, and that he will be sent to the United States. That transfer had not been officially confirmed.

The arrest comes about five weeks after Haiti handed 18 suspects in the Moïse case to the United States, a move the country's judicial council criticized as a breach of judicial independence. Moïse was assassinated in July 2021.