The Haitian National Police has charged five Americans, a Serb, a Russian and Haitian man with criminal conspiracy after they were found with several assault rifles and weapons, passports, satellite phones and license plates. The group of men were detained Sunday evening Port-au-Prince.
Video of 7 US citizens and a Haitian being held at main police station in downtown PAP, #Haiti. They were detained after a cache of automatic weapons, communications equipment and several license plates were found in their vehicles. Why they were stopped is unknown. pic.twitter.com/YvCxaULWIo
— HaitiInfoProject ???? (@HaitiInfoProj) February 18, 2019
There are several questions surrounding the arrests of the men, including why they are in Haiti, for what purpose, and chiefly, who hired them? Haitians are speculating the detained men are international mercenaries sent to the country to terrorize the people.
According to VOA, the men were detained at a checkpoint near the central bank. The men have been charged with “illegal possession of weapons for allegedly having with them six assault rifles, six pistols, ammunition, bullet proof vests, drones, telecommunications gear and two vehicles.”
The arrests come more than a week after protests against President Jovenel Moise took hold in the country. At least seven people have died in the protests.