Twelve people are being held in police custody in connection with an alleged assassination attempt of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and three of her Cabinet Ministers - Attorney General Anand Ramlogan; Housing Minister Roodal Moonilal and Local Government Minister Chandresh Sharma.The suspects were arrested at different times between Monday and yesterday by police and Defence Force officers.
The men were reportedly being transferred among police stations in north Trinidad, including Belmont, Woodbrook, Tunapuna, Barataria and the Central Police Station, St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain.Among the men is the son of a deceased contractor of east Trinidad.A 48-year-old man of Diego Martin, with links in Guyana, reportedly was arrested by officers of the Special Branch officers as his home on Wednesday night.
The man is said to have been a former member of the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen and involved in the 1990 attempted coup.He also was found not guilty of a double murder which occurred at a popular nightspot in west Trinidad, several years ago.Two former soldiers, both dishonourably discharged from the Defence Force a few years ago, were arrested during police raids at their home on Tuesday night.
Two Muslim academics, of Princes Town, also were said to be arrested by police.The men are said to have studied in Saudi Arabia and spent time in the Middle East. A police sergeant, with over 25 years' experience, was also arrested while on duty at a police station in Port-of-Spain.