PORT OF SPAIN – The Islamic Front says it is “strongly condemning the flagrant and wanton disregard of the state and by extension the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS)” following the detention of several people on Thursday whom the authorities said were planning to disrupt the annual Carnival celebrations that ends here this early next week.
In a statement, the Islamic Front said that the authorities were continuing to “further oppress and target Muslims of this country” specifically those who “have contributed significantly to the population of Islam, the society as a whole and aides in mass charity efforts in this country”.
Police Information Officer Michael Jackman told a news conference Thursday that the detained people, whom he did not identify, were being questioned and that the information received is going through intelligence gathering.
“The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) revealed it was a plan to disrupt the Carnival actives, intelligence agencies were active and vigilant and the discovery was made,” he said.
“Trinidad and Tobago Police Service will continue, in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, to ensure that persons enjoy Carnival 2018 in a safe and secure environment,” he said, following a high-powered meeting of security official and the detention of the men.
While the police would not divulge the identity of the men, media reports here have linked them to a mosque in the El Socorro, San Juan area, along the east-west corridor.
The Canadian, United States and British governments have issued statements describing the events as a possible terrorist threat and warning their nationals to be careful over the Carnival celebrations that end with the traditional street jump up on Tuesday next week.
London warned nationals to ‘remain vigilant and avoid crowded places, adding “terrorists are very likely to carry out attacks in Trinidad and Tobago.
“Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in crowded spaces and places visited by foreigners,” it added.
But the Islamic Front said that it regarded the searches of the mosques “as juvenile, baseless, and a clear indication of the vendetta and dislike of the state towards Muslims in this country, not to mention the disrespect and abuse meted out to a number of Muslim men from various parts of the country”.
Islamic Front leader Umar Abdullah said “this cowardly and dastardly actions by the state specifically the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service must not be forgotten by Muslim community”.
“It is very sad that the police acted on conjecture yesterday, saying they had credible information…those individuals are still detained and they have been taken to a number of different police stations. I don’t know what’s the sense in that, but they do create difficult situations for the families as they try to locate them, trying to get lawyers to go to their aid and so on.
“What they did yesterday was unconstitutional,” he said, warning that the country was sliding into a dictatorship.
“It is a dictate that uses brutal force against its people to subdue them and we have to be very careful about this in this country because we are heading that path and we will get to be where Venezuela is today. (CMC)
“If we continue along this path in this country and citizens in this country will have to stand up and say no to police brutality,” he said, noting that even if the police were in possession of a search warrant “you still have to follow due process”.
He said it is interesting that the actions by the authorities on Thursday come at a time when the government has tabled legislation to deal with terrorism.
