Christian Sanon claims innocence in Haiti assassination, adding confusion

• The Haitian authorities have called Christian Sanon the mastermind of the assassination of President Moïse.
• A source close to the investigation told CNN that Sanon had claimed to be innocent.
• Sanon’s friends and family have previously said they believe he was duped or tricked.

A Florida-based doctor accused of being the mastermind of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse told police he knew nothing about the attack, CNN reported, citing an anonymous source familiar with the investigation.

Christian Emmanuel Sanon, evangelical pastor and doctor authorized to practice in Haiti, was arrested this weekend in connection with the murder of Moses.

“He doesn’t know. He doesn’t know. That’s what he said since the day authorities questioned him,” the CNN source said.

Haiti’s police chief Leon Charles said on Sunday that Sanon was the mastermind behind the murder of Moses, saying he flew to Haiti in June with a plan to steal the presidency.

AP Photo / Dieu Nalio Chery, File

But the source who spoke to CNN said Sanon is claiming his innocence.

Sanon was arrested at a compound with a sign outside reading “International Medical Village,” but inside, police found boxes of ammunition and gun and pistol cases, the CNN source said.

Sanon told police he knew nothing about the items seized from the apartment building where he was staying and that it was not his home or property, CNN reported.

Sanon’s statements continue to raise questions about how quickly Haitian authorities have branded him as the leader of the conspiracy. Charles said there were two other brains in the plot, but did not name them.

The New York Times reported that Sanon filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2013, suggesting it is not clear if he even had the money to pay for the blow on Moses.

Sanon’s friends and family recently told The Associated Press and DailyMail.com that he was a peaceful man and was not involved in an operation to kill anyone, although ‘they said he wanted political change in the country. Sanon’s brother Joseph told DailyMail.com he believed his brother was being staged.

While Sanon is in detention in Haiti, he has yet to be formally charged with a crime.