愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Turkey: Man in custody sought for Haitian president's death

In this handout photo taken from a video released by the Turkish police, businessman Samir Handal, centre, being questioned at the international Istanbul airport, Istanbul, Monday, Nov. 15, 2021. (Turkish Police via AP) In this handout photo taken from a video released by the Turkish police, businessman Samir Handal, centre, being questioned at the international Istanbul airport, Istanbul, Monday, Nov. 15, 2021. (Turkish Police via AP)
Share
ANKARA, Turkey -

Turkish authorities have issued a 40-day temporary custody order for a man considered a suspect in the July 7 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise and placed him in a prison in Istanbul, Turkey's state-run news agency reported.

The suspect, businessman Samir Handal, was detained at Istanbul Airport early on Monday while in transit from the United States to Jordan, Anadolu Agency reported. His arrest was announced by authorities in Haiti.

Haitian Foreign Minister Claude Joseph said on Twitter that he spoke with his Turkish counterpart about Handal's arrest. Joseph provided no more information, including whether Haiti would seek the man's extradition.

Anadolu Agency said Handal was wanted on an Interpol notice and detained by airport police on arrival in Istanbul. He was later questioned by court officials who issued the 40-day temporary custody order which was requested by Turkey's Justice Ministry, the report said.

He is currently in Istanbul's Maltepe prison, the agency reported.

Handal has been mentioned as a suspect in the plot to kill the Haitian president, although the government has not given any specifics about his alleged involvement.

More than 40 suspects have been arrested so far in the presidential slaying, including 18 former Colombian soldiers and several Haitian police officers. Colombian authorities have said the majority of its former soldiers did not know the true nature of the operation they were hired to participate in.

In October, another Colombian man was arrested in Jamaica.

Moise was shot dead and his wife was wounded in a pre-dawn attack at his private home.

The presidential killing deepened the political instability in the country, which also since then has been trying to recover from a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that killed more than 2,200 people in Haiti's southwestern region in mid-August, a spike in gang-related violence and a severe shortage of fuel.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.

Montreal police say four teenagers suffered stab wounds after an altercation near John F. Kennedy High School in the city's Villeray鈥擲aint-Michel鈥擯arc-Extension borough on Thursday.

Four people are dead and another is in hospital after a Tesla driving through downtown Toronto at a high rate of speed crashed into a guardrail and struck a concrete pillar on Lake Shore Boulevard.

Voting officials say recounts in two ridings that could determine the outcome of British Columbia's election won't start until Sunday afternoon.

Emergency crews responded to a call for a stabbing at Paul Landry Park on Uplands Drive, between Paul Anka Drive and Bennett Street, at 11:25 a.m. Thursday.

Local Spotlight

A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.