Former Haitian senator and presidential candidate Moise Jean-Charles says he has been arrested in the United States and deported to Haiti.

Mr Jean-Charles spoke briefly as he arrived at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in the capital of Port-au-Prince, looking distraught.

It was not immediately clear why he was deported or whether he faces any charges.

He said US authorities detained him on Monday as he returned from Nigeria and interrogated him about his recent trip to Africa.

He said he spent the night in jail and was deported on Tuesday.

“They’ve forbidden me from entering the US for the next five years,” he said.

“They’ve cancelled the visa and they’ve put me in jail. It’s a humiliating thing.”

The arrest prompted a small protest in the Port-au-Prince neighbourhood of Delmas 47, where some people burned tyres and threw rocks at passing cars.

Mr Jean-Charles ran for president in 2015 and 2016 against opponents including slain President Jovenel Moise, who was shot on July 7 at his private residence.

Mr Jean-Charles was previously a senator and also served as mayor for the northern town of Milot, near where Mr Moise was born.

Late last year, he called on the administration of Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resolve the country’s rising insecurity as soon as possible so it can hold elections and address major issues including unemployment and kidnapping.