An image taken from videograb shows unknown assailants inside Haiti president's house.

Gulf Today Report

Haitian Prime Minister Claude Joseph said on Wednesday that unknown assailants attacked the residence of the country's President Jovenel Moïse during the night and assassinated him.

Joseph said he is now in charge of leading the country.

He added that the president's wife was injured in the attack and was taken to the hospital, calling on citizens to calm down, stressing at the same time that the police and army will ensure order.

The shooting took place at about one o'clock in the morning on Wednesday, according to local media.

A media report indicated that, "a group of people, some of whom spoke Spanish, broke into the president's house during the night and then killed him."

The report added that the killer pretended to be a DEA agent.

Jovenel Moise speaks during an interview at the National Palace of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. File / Reuters

Haiti is located in the Caribbean Sea, and is one of the poorest countries on the American continent.

The assassination came amid crises in the country at various levels, whether political, economic, and security.

Moïse had postponed indefinitely a constitutional referendum that was to be implemented in late June due to the coronavirus pandemic, while the opposition was challenging its legitimacy, especially since he has ruled the country since January 2020 with presidential decrees, due to the absence of Parliament as a result of postponing the elections.

While the murdered president was saying that his presidential term ends in February 2022, the opposition asserts that his term expired in February 2021.