As the impoverished and crisis-hit Caribbean nation was thrown into uncertainty, Haiti police executed four "mercenaries" they alleged were behind President Jovenel Moise's assassination on Wednesday and put two more into jail.

The suspects in the gun attack on Moise and his wife Martine, who survived, at their private property in the capital Port-au-Prince in the early hours of Wednesday have not been identified, nor have police revealed their reasons.

Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph announced a national "state of siege" and said he was now in charge of the country as the UN Security Council scrambled to convene an emergency meeting for midday Thursday.

 

“Four mercenaries were killed, two were intercepted under our control. Three policemen who had been taken hostage have been recovered,” said Leon Charles,  director-general of Haiti’s national police.

The airport in Port-au-Prince was closed, but observers reported the city was peaceful, with empty streets and no extra security troops on patrol.

 

Since the attack, police have been scouring the city, they reported late Wednesday.

Moise's house was attacked about 1:00 a.m. (0500 GMT). As forensics experts examined the site for evidence, shell casings could be spotted on the street outside, and a nearby automobile was perforated with gunshot holes, with one window shattered.

Moise's wife was treated at a local hospital before being flown to the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami via air ambulance.

She was "out of danger," Joseph added, later adding, "her position is stable."

The president was "assassinated at his home by foreigners who spoke English and Spanish," he claimed.

“This death will not go unpunished,” Joseph declared in a national address.