http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,151402.htmlPLOT TO KILL, TRIGGER PANICBy Clint Chan Tack Tuesday, November 29 2011
Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis is being held under a detention order for his alleged role in a conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, Housing and Environment Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal and Local Government Minister Chandresh Sharma. Three other men, Ashmeed Choate, Shane Crawfowd and Chionesu Luqman, are also now in custody under detention orders for their roles in plotting to destabilise the country and to cause major panic.
National Security Minister Brigadier John Sandy yesterday signed the detention orders for the four men in accordance with the Emergency Powers Regulations 2011.
Newsday obtained copies of the detention orders, numbered 238, 239, 240, 241, which were gazetted yesterday.
Order 239, issued to Alexis, states he “has been named as a person involved in a conspiracy to assassinate the following government officials, which assassinations were to occur on November 24, 2011.”
The government officials listed in the order issued to Alexis are Persad-Bissessar, Ramlogan, Moonilal and Sharma.
In the document, Sandy notes that it was necessary to place Alexis, of Francois Street, Enterprise, Chaguanas, under detention to prevent him from “acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety or public order or the defence of Trinidad and Tobago”.
Only Alexis was named as being involved in the assassination plot.
The other three, however, were identified for roles in a plot to destabilise the country.
Detention order 238, issued for Choate, of 167 Craignish Road, Princes Town, states Choate has been identified as “the mastermind behind a plot to destabilise Trinidad and Tobago and cause major panic”.
Orders 240 and 241 for Luqman and Crawfowd respectively state they are among persons “behind a plot to destabilise Trinidad and Tobago and cause major panic.”
Several addresses were listed for Luqman in Mon Repos, Upper Malick, Morvant, East Dry River, Belmont and Valencia.
Crawfowd, also known as Asadullah, has addresses at 349 Dass Branch Trace, Enterprise, Chaguanas and Balisier Road, Smith Field Lands, Wallerfield.
All four are being held at the Eastern Detention Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre at Churchill Roosevelt Highway, Santa Rosa, Arima.
At a news conference held at the National Security Ministry’s Temple Court headquarters on Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain, Sandy said he signed detention orders “for four individuals who are in police custody with respect to an assassination plot against high-ranking officials of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, including our Prime Minister.”
At the time, he did not name the four persons.
Detention orders were being prepared for nine other persons and will be issued pending legal advice.
Last week, 13 people were arrested by the police in connection to the murder conspiracy.
Sandy explained that Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs had submitted to him a report two weeks ago stating that “intelligence units of the service had uncovered a threat to the nation’s security.”
“On Friday, November 18, 2011, Commissioner Gibbs in an official document reported to me that his intelligence personnel had unearthed a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister and three members of her Cabinet.”
The three ministers were Ramlogan, Moonilal and Sharma.
Sandy said the plotters had planned to carry out the killings on November 24.
“This plot to undermine the security and stability of the Republic of TT was to be executed on November 24, 2011, the 24th being a significant date in the political successes of the Prime Minister,” he told reporters.
Persad-Bissessar was elected United National Congress (UNC) political leader on January 24, 2010, appointed Opposition Leader on February 24, 2010 and elected Prime Minister on May 24, 2010.
“As a consequence, the Prime Minister was immediately alerted and briefed on the same afternoon of November 18, by senior members of law enforcement,” Sandy added.
He explained that as a result of the further gathering of intelligence by the security forces, five days after he received the report from Gibbs and Persad-Bissessar was briefed on the matter, the 13 persons who are now in police custody were arrested and detained at different locations in the country. “They remain in custody and continue to be interrogated,” he stated.
Sandy said there were no clear motives as to why Moonilal and Sharma were targeted for assassination. He added the only possible linkage which investigators have advanced are the fact that CEPEP falls under Moonilal’s portfolio while Sharma’s ministry manages one part of the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP).
Indicating that a serving member of the Police Service, two former soldiers and a former member of the Coast Guard were among those detained, Sandy reiterated how saddened he was that former members of the military were involved in the plot.
In the case of the four persons, now being held under detention orders, Sandy said consideration is being given to charging them under the Anti-Terrorism Act among other laws.
Reminded that the state of emergency ends on December 5 and Government, Sandy said, “By then, we should have sufficient evidence to pursue the matters. If we don’t, then they have to be released.”
Asked about previous arrests of persons, who were held under the Anti-Gang Act, but have been released due to a lack of evidence, Sandy replied, “Well, I used to be in the military, never a police officer. That is something for the police.”
He reminded reporters that Government had engaged the services of Law Association president Dana Seetahal SC, Israel Khan SC, Pamela Elder SC and Theodore Guerra SC to provide legal advice on these and other matters during the state of emergency.
Seetahal and a team of lawyers met the Attorney General on Sunday at Seetahal’s El Dorado chambers in Port-of-Spain to discuss the preparation of the detention orders.
During the briefing, Sandy disclosed he had requested a report from the Chief Immigration Officer with respect to a pair of Israeli nationals who were reportedly in the custody of Caribbean Airlines but escaped five months ago.
Reporters asked whether police were investigating whether those individuals were involved in the assassination plot.
“I am advised by the police that all avenues are being explored,” Sandy replied. Sandy neither confirmed nor denied whether wire-tapping was one of the tactics used to detain the 13 persons now in custody.
He also remained silent about reports that the plot had international links to extremist or fundamentalist groups outside of TT.
However, he did reveal that the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the British MI- 6 intelligence agency were “among other international agencies” who were collaborating with local security forces in ongoing investigations into this matter.
Saying Persad-Bissessar held a briefing to speak about the plot last Thursday because she felt it was time to “apprise the population” since there were rumours circulating in the country, Sandy said, “The fact of the matter remains no matter how high your level of security is, it could be breached.”
He said the Prime Minister felt she could continue with her schedule of public engagements and “the security around her will take care of her.”
Observing it was harder to protect someone like Persad-Bissessar in public, Sandy said, “I totally agree but then what do you do? Stay underground forever? It doesn’t make sense.”
Asked whether Persad-Bissessar will still be attending the Third Summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders in Caracas, Venezuela on Friday and Saturday, all Sandy was prepared to say was “it has been discussed.”
After Sandy said security personnel close to Persad-Bissessar are being checked in relation to the plot, Newsday asked whether similar checks are being done for all government officials who report directly to the Prime Minister or who are close enough to be aware of sensitive information she is privy to.
“You can’t be 100 percent certain about things like that but you make every effort through vetting, through enquiries of the personnel to ensure that the people you have close to you are loyal to you.”
Asked again if these persons were being checked out by security forces, Sandy replied, “They must be.”
Asked whether there was any evidence that there were persons who were politically opposed to the Government involved in this plot, Sandy replied, “That thought has occurred. I would not what to comment on that from a political perspective, we are looking now at the strategic operational aspect of things.”
Asked how this plot differed from a case in 2001 when then prime minister Basdeo Panday claimed there was a plot to overthrow the then UNC administration, of which Persad-Bissessar was a Cabinet minister, Sandy said, “Now we have the intelligence.”
Recalling he was the TT Defence Force Chief of Staff at that time, Sandy said his reply to Panday’s claim was, “what plot?”
“I knew nothing of it at that time. I still don’t. When I asked him about it, he said he had information that certain people in the country were trying to kill him. I had nothing positive from the Commissioner of Police at the time neither did I get anything from him that would suggest some reason to pursue it.”
Gibbs, who attended the briefing along with Defence Force Chief of Staff Brigadier Kenrick Maharaj and Minister in the Ministry of National Security Collin Partap, said many of the questions which were put to Sandy were speculative in nature.
“I will not answer those questions with regards to investigative tactics and investigations that are underway. It would be inappropriate for me to do that as it could compromise any kind of investigation that we have, any kind of evidence that we may be gathering,” Gibbs said.
