Haiti Prime Minister Henry Says ‘Bandits’ Tried to Assassinate Him

(Bloomberg) -- Six months after Haiti's president was assassinated, his successor says he was also targeted in a murder plot. 

Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry told Agence France-Presse that his armored car was hit by gunfire on Jan. 1 when “bandits” tried to kill him during national independence day celebrations in a provincial city. 

“An attempt has been made against me personally,” Henry told AFP Monday. “My life has been put in the crosshairs.”

On Saturday, Henry was rushed out of the event in Gonaives, a city with a heavy gang presence 80 miles north of the capital. Local media reported gunfire and at least one death near the building where Henry was due to give a speech. 

Read More: Gangs Now Run Haiti, Filling a Vacuum Left by Years of Collapse

Henry took the reins of the nation in July, after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise deepened long-running political chaos and exacerbated gang violence.  

Local gangs had warned officials not to attend the ceremony. 

“I knew I was taking a risk,” Henry told AFP. “We cannot let bandits from any background, driven by the lowest financial interests, blackmail the state.”

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.