VOA慢速英语--海地总统遇害案疑犯被捕，神秘感与日俱增

A medical doctor. A religious leader. A failed Florida businessman. These are some of the details about the main suspect in the killing¹ of Haitian president Jovenel Moise.

Local officials identified the suspect as Christian² Emmanuel Sanon, a 62-year-old Haitian. He once expressed a desire to lead his country in a YouTube video. However, he is unknown among Haitian political groups. And friends suggested that those really behind the killing had tricked him.

A friend of Sanon in the American state of Florida told The Associated Press the suspect is a religious leader and also a medical doctor in Haiti, but not in the U.S. The friend's name is not made public for reasons of safety. He reported that Sanon told him people claiming to represent the U.S. State and Justice departments said they wanted to make him president.

He said the plan was only to arrest Moise, and Sanon would not have participated if he knew Moise would be killed.

"I guarantee you that," the friend said. "This was supposed to be a mission to save Haiti from hell, with support from the U.S. government."

Rev³. Larry Caldwell, another religious leader and friend of Sanon in Florida, agreed. Caldwell said he worked with Sanon setting up religious centers and medical offices in Haiti between 2000 and 2010. He does not believe Sanon would have been involved in violence.

"I know the character of the man," Caldwell said.

However, records show Sanon has never been approved to practice medicine or any other profession covered by Florida's Department of Health. They also show that Sanon started several businesses over the last 20 years, all of which failed.

Sanon's involvement

Among the suspects arrested for Moise's killing are 23 former Colombian soldiers, along with three Haitians. Officials said five suspects are still free and at least three have been killed.

Colombia's national police chief, General Jorge Luis Vargas, said that a Florida-based company, CTU Security, bought 19 plane tickets from Bogota to Santo Domingo for the Colombian suspects. Most arrived in the Dominican Republic in June and moved into Haiti within weeks, Vargas said.

Haiti's National Police chief, Léon Charles, said that Sanon was in contact with CTU Security and that the company employed the suspects in the killing. Officers also found a hat with the logo of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, 20 boxes of bullets, gun parts, cars and other things in Sanon's house in Haiti.

Charles said Sanon flew into Haiti in June on a private airplane with several of the suspected gunmen. The suspects were told their job was to protect Sanon, but they were later ordered to arrest the president.

Charles said one suspect called Sanon after the killing. Sanon then contacted two people the police believe to be leaders of the plot. Charles did not identify the leaders or say if police know who they are.

Aid to Haiti

Sanon's friend said he attended a recent meeting in Florida with Sanon and other people, including Antonio Enmanuel Intriago Valera, the head of CTU Security. He said the meeting centered on rebuilding Haiti's water system and fixing roads.

He said Sanon asked why the security team accompanying him to Haiti were all Colombians. Sanon was told that Haitians could not be trusted and that the system is corrupt⁴, the friend said.

He added Sanon called him from Haiti a few days before the assassination⁵ and said the Colombians had disappeared. "I'm all by myself. Who are these people? I don't know what they are doing," the friend quoted Sanon as saying.

Struggle for power

Sanon's arrest comes as a growing number of politicians have opposed interim⁶ Prime Minister Claude Joseph. Joseph is running Haiti with support from the police and the military.

U.S. officials from the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security met Sunday with Joseph, nominated Prime Minister Ariel Henry and Joseph Lambert, the head of Haiti's dismantled⁸ Senate. The delegation⁹ also met with Haiti's National Police and reviewed the security of critical systems.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, "What was clear from their trip is that there is a lack of clarity about the future of political leadership."

Words in This Story

assassinate¹⁰ – v. to kill (someone, such as a famous or important person) usually for political reasons

mission – n. a specific military or naval¹¹ task

hell – n. a very difficult or unpleasant situation or experience

character – n. the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves : someone's personality — usually singular

logo – n. a symbol that is used to identify a company and that appears on its products

quote – v, to repeat (something written or said by another person) exactly

interim – adj. used or accepted for a limited time; not permanent

dismantle⁷ – v. to destroy (something) in an orderly way : to gradually cause (something) to come to an end

clarity – n. the quality of being easily understood

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

4 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

5 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

6 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

7 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

8 dismantled   

拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消

参考例句：

• The plant was dismantled of all its equipment and furniture. 这家工厂的设备和家具全被拆除了。
• The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. 日本帝国很快被打垮了。

9 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

10 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

11 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。