Ex-Haiti Rebel Again in Spotlight

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Aug 16, 5:42 AM EDT
Ex-Haiti Rebel Again in Spotlight

By STEVENSON JACOBS
Associated Press Writer



AP Photo/PABLO ANELI

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -- Three years ago, Guy Philippe, a pistol bulging from his waist, was riding high. He'd led a rebellion that ousted Haiti's elected president and declared that "the country is in my hands."

These days, Philippe is riding so low that no one can find him - not Haitian police or the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which last month raided his house.

In an audio message distributed to radio stations from hiding, Philippe denied involvement in drug trafficking and accused the United States of trying to silence him for political reasons.

"Before, when they wanted to eliminate someone, they called him a communist. Now there are no more communists so you're either a terrorist or into drugs," said the 39-year-old who unsuccessfully ran for president last year.
(snip)

In the 1990s, Philippe joined the Haitian army and went to military school in Ecuador. He has denied press reports that he was trained by U.S. Special Forces in Ecuador.





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