#Assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse a ‘heinous act’, Biden says

President Biden is condemning the assassination of Haiti’s president Wednesday, vowing that the US stands “ready to assist” in the wake of the murder.

In a statement, the US commander-in-chief said the nation was “shocked and saddened to hear of the horrific assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and the attack on First Lady Martine Moïse of Haiti.

“We condemn this heinous act, and I am sending my sincere wishes for First Lady Moïse’s recovery,” the statement continued. “The United States offers condolences to the people of Haiti, and we stand ready to assist as we continue to work for a safe and secure Haiti.”

The Moïses were attacked in their home, located in the impoverished Caribbean nation’s capital of Port-au-Prince, at about 1 a.m. local time Wednesday.

Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who revealed news of the attack, said the first lady was shot during the ambush.

Martine Moïse, he said, “was wounded by a bullet and the necessary measures are being taken.”

Joseph also said he was now in charge of the country.

Calling it a “hateful, inhumane and barbaric act,” Joseph revealed of the attack that “an unidentified group of individuals, some of whom were speaking in Spanish, attacked the private residence of the President of the Republic and mortally wounded him.”

The primary languages in the Caribbean nation of more than 11 million people are French and Haitian Creole.

The gunmen claimed to be agents with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Miami Herald reported.

But sources told the paper that the assailants, one of whom spoke English with an American accent, were not with the American agency.