White House calls assassination of Haitian president ‘horrific’

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the assassination of the Haitian president “horrific” and “tragic” on Wednesday morning and said the Biden administration is still gathering information about the attack.

President Biden is expected to be briefed on the attack by his national security team Wednesday, she said.

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in an attack on his residence overnight, multiple news outlets reported, citing a statement from the country’s interim prime minister Claude Joseph. First lady Martine Moïse was also shot in the attack and has been hospitalized.

It’s not clear how the Haitian president was killed, but Joseph said a group of unidentified individuals attacked his private residence in the middle of the night around 1 a.m.

“The country’s security situation is under the control of the National Police of Haiti and the Armed Forces of Haiti,” Joseph said in a statement, according to The Associated Press. “Democracy and the republic will win.”

Psaki said during a later appearance on CNN that U.S. embassy staff and the State Department would be in communication with Haiti officials about the situation.

“The message to the people of Haiti is this is a tragedy, it’s a horrific crime, and we’re so sorry for the loss that they are all suffering and going through as many of them are waking up this morning and hearing this news,” Psaki said. “We stand ready and stand by them to provide any assistance that is needed.”

Biden is likely to be briefed on the developments Wednesday morning, before he is due to depart for a trip to Illinois where he will promote his domestic agenda. Biden is already scheduled to meet with officials on efforts to curb ransomware on Wednesday morning.