BOGOTA, Oct 23, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - A former Colombian military officer wanted

by Haitian authorities over the assassination of President Jovenel Moise has
been captured in Jamaica, Colombian authorities said on Friday.

  Mario Palacios is accused of being one of 26 Colombian mercenaries who
allegedly took part in the July 7 murder of Moise at his home in Haiti's
capital Port-au-Prince, in which his wife Martine was also shot and wounded.

  "We have already been notified about the capture of Mr Palacios. What is
happening now... is the extradition process to Haiti," said Colombia's police
chief Jorge Vargas in a video.

  He said he was informed of the arrest by the Interpol office in Kingston,
Jamaica.

  No details were given about the arrest, nor how Palacios would have managed
to reach the neighboring island of Jamaica from Haiti.

  Palacios had been the subject of an Interpol red notice.

  Three Colombians were killed by Haitian armed forces responding to the
attack and 18 more were detained, alongside two US citizens of Haitian
descent.

  Vargas previously said the captured Colombians claimed that the initial
plan was to arrest Moise and hand him over to the US Drug Enforcement Agency.

  The mercenaries were contracted by Miami-based Venezuelan security firm
CTU.

  Colombia's government has complained about the poor treatment of its
citizens by Haitian authorities.

  The assassination deepened an already dramatic crisis in Haiti, which is
suffering from a lack of security, soaring gang violence and a spate of
kidnappings.

  The capital has also been paralyzed by fuel shortages caused by gangs
controlling oil access, and demonstrations by those angry that gasoline is
only available on the black market.