Haiti president assassinated; Airport shut, border with Dominican Republic closed

The Port-au-Prince-Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Haiti is reportedly closed this morning, after Haitian president Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home around 1 a.m. local time this morning, July 7. As of Wednesday evening, all incoming and outgoing flights at the airport remained canceled or delayed until further notice, per Sunrise Airways. American Airlines, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue were all offering fee waivers for people to use towards fare differences in travel in Haiti disputed by the situation this week, CNBC reported on Thursday.

"A group of unidentified individuals, some of whom spoke in Spanish, attacked the private residence of the President of the Republic and thus mortally wounded the Head of State," Haitian interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said in a statement, who condemned what he called an "odious, inhuman and barbaric act." Joseph also noted that First Lady Martine Moise remains hospitalized.

Although the international airport in Port-au-Prince is allegedly closed, the airport's website has yet to update its schedule and still has both departing and arrival flights scheduled as such. As of 9:10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, flight-tracking site FlightAware showed 58 percent of outgoing flights and 38 percent of arriving flights to PAP as canceled.

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Additionally, Dominican Republican President Luis Abinader, has reportedly closed the border with Haiti in response to ongoing events, per Reuters.

Joseph, the interim prime minister, noted that the "security situation in the country is under the control of the Haitian National Police and the Haitian Armed Forces" and that "all measures are taken to guarantee the continuity of the State and protect the Nation."