The President Of Haiti Has Been Assassinated By Unknown Gunmen

 The President of Haiti Jovenel Moise has been assassinated by gunmen claiming to be DEA agents in a night-time raid on his home that also left his wife seriously injured, according to reports. 

A group of 'foreigners', some of whom spoke English and Spanish, broke into Mr Moise's home in the hills above Port-au-Prince at around 1am on Wednesday, according to a statement by country's prime minister.

The 53-year-old was shot dead and the First Lady Martine, 47, remains in hospital after what PM Claude Joseph called a 'hateful, inhumane and barbaric act.'

In footage purportedly recorded by a witness, someone with an American accent shouts into a megaphone: 'DEA operation. Everybody stand down. DEA operation. Everybody back up, stand down.'

Gunfire then erupts in the video uploaded to Instagram by someone who says they were in the Pelerin 5 neighbourhood, where the president's house is located. 

The assailants were pretending to be from the US Drugs Enforcement Agency and were 'mercenaries,' a government source told The Miami Herald.

Residents reported hearing high-powered rounds and saw men dressed in black sprinting through the neighbourhood. There were also claims of a grenade going off and drones being deployed. 

Further videos purportedly taken by a neighbour show men with rifles arriving outside the president's house. It is not clear whether they are from the country's security forces or if they are the assassins.

PM Joseph said he had taken charge of the country and the police and armed forces were taking 'all measures to guarantee the continuity of the State and protect the Nation.'

The Biden administration called it a 'tragic attack' and said the White House was still 'gathering information' and 'assessing right now.' Press Secretary Jen Psaki called it an 'horrific crime,' adding 'we stand ready and stand by them to provide any assistance that's needed.'

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted that he was 'shocked and saddened at the death of Mr Moise', calling it 'an abhorrent act' and appealing for calm 

It comes after Mr Moise claimed police had foiled an assassination plot in February amid massive protests in the country over claims the president was acting like a dictator and refusing to hold elections.