Jovenel Moïse, the 43rd president of Haiti, was assassinated on 7 July 2021 at 1:00 am EDT (UTC−04:00) at his residence in Port-au-Prince. A group of 28 foreign mercenaries, mostly from Colombia, are alleged to be responsible for the killing. First Lady Martine Moïse was also shot multiple times in the attack and was airlifted to the United States for emergency treatment. Later in the day, USGPN (L'Unité de Sécurité Générale du Palais National, or The General Security Unit of the National Palace, headed by Dimitri Herard) killed three of the suspected assassins and arrested 20 more. A manhunt was launched for other gunmen as well as the masterminds of the attack.
Haitian chief prosecutor Bedford Claude questioned Moïse's top bodyguards; none of the president's security guards were killed or injured in the attack. U.S. authorities arrested 11 suspects alleged to have conspired in the assassination. Martine Moïse and former acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph were formally charged on 19 February 2024 with conspiring in the assassination.