Haiti's president is assassinated in his home; wife injured

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated by gunmen who also wounded his wife in an overnight raid on their home Wednesday on the outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Authorities declared a state of siege in the country and closed the international airport.

The assailants entered the residence toward 1 am local time on Wednesday, interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph told Radio Television Caraibes. "I call on the public to remain calm," said Joseph.

Following a cabinet meeting, Joseph assumed control of the government and declared the state of siege, which restricts freedom of movement, puts the military in charge of security, replaces civilian courts with military tribunals, and restricts media information, Joseph said in a televised address to the nation after chairing a cabinet meeting.

He said that the government had declared a two-week state of emergency as it launched a manhunt for the killers. Authorities in the country, where the majority speak French or Haitian Creole, said the gunmen spoke English and Spanish, and appeared to include foreigners.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Joseph called for an international investigation into the assassination and said that elections scheduled for later this year should be held and pledged to work with Moïse's allies and opponents alike.

Moïse had been ruling by decree for more than a year after failing to hold elections, and the opposition demanded he step down in recent months.

The president faced large protests in recent months that turned violent as opposition leaders and their supporters rejected his plans to hold a constitutional referendum with proposals that would strengthen the presidency.

He was killed a day after he nominated Ariel Henry, a neurosurgeon, as the new prime minister. Joseph took over the job of interim prime minister in April following the resignation of the previous premier, Joseph Jouthe.

Bocchit Edmond, the Haitian ambassador to the United States, said the attack on the 53-year-old Moïse "was carried out by foreign mercenaries and professional killers — well-orchestrated", and that they were masquerading as agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The agency has an office in the Haitian capital to assist the government in counternarcotics programs, according to the US embassy.

Moïse's wife, Martine, was in stable but critical condition and efforts were under way to move her to Miami for treatment, Edmond said in Washington.

He said that the assassins could have escaped over the land border to the Dominican Republic or by sea.

The Dominican Republic said it was closing the border and reinforcing security in the area, describing the frontier as "completely calm".

The Associated Press reported that the streets of Port-au-Prince were empty and quiet Wednesday, with public transportation scarce, and people searching for businesses that were open for food and water.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the assassination "in the strongest terms" and stressed that "the perpetrators of this crime must be brought to justice", UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The Security Council scheduled an emergency closed meeting on Haiti for Thursday.