Haitian authorities investigating the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse said five armed and dangerous fugitives include a fired government official, an informant for the US government, and a former local senator who once compared the leader to the coronavirus.

Former Sen. John Joel Joseph, an opponent of Moïse’s Tet Kale party, made the comparison in a video posted last year on YouTube.

“Insecurity has infected every single Haitian,” said Joseph, who claimed Haitians had died of hunger or been killed amid a spike in violence under Moïse’s administration.

The second suspect has been identified as Joseph Felix Badio, who previously worked for Haiti’s Ministry of Justice and joined the government’s anti-corruption unit in March 2013.

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