The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service say they have released five of the 13 people detained in the alleged plot to destabilize the country during the recent Carnival celebrations.
The announcement of the release came as members of the Muslim Roundtable met with Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon and acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams on Thursday.
No feelings of Islamophobia
“We did get some clarification. Of course, we know that it is an investigation that is still continuing. We don’t think there’s any feelings of Islamophobia from the government authorities or the police authorities,” Imam Shiraz Khan of the New Islam Masjid told reporters after the two-hour meeting.
He said while the group believed the authorities are doing their job and “ hey will bring this to a quick end,” he is hoping that the public will not come to the conclusion that members of the Muslim community, with whom they have co-existed with peacefully for years, “have suddenly become terrorists or criminals and everybody is out to get them.”
Khan said the group had been given an assurance by the Attorney General that “due process was taking place.”
Al-Rawi later told reporters that his ministry has been dealing with writs of habeas corpus for the last several days, adding “and we expect more to come.”
Related: Terrorist threats for T&T carnival
Dillon said that “there is nothing in Trinidad and Tobago’s history that can speak to Islamic prejudice,” saying that the meeting on Thursday was to assure the group that, “the investigations and subsequent arrests of certain people were not targeted in any way to the Islamic community.”
Tariq Mohammed, who was among those released this week, told reporters that he wanted to thank “God and everyone who helped me get through the last six days.
“I went with the police when they came last week, fully intent on co-operating – next minute I was hearing about ‘threat attack.’ Just ludicrous!” he said.
No knowledge of any plot
He maintained he had no knowledge of any plot to destabilize the country, adding “ I don’t know anything about what they were talking. As time wore on I realized I wouldn’t get out until Ash Wednesday and just had to be patient. I don’t want to go through this type of thing again. God knows best.
Mohammed’ said the family fully intends pursuing legal action against the state over the detention, adding “we’re now studying, with lawyers, what legal action we have to take on this. Last Thursday, the police said they had uncovered the plot to destabilize the Carnival celebrations and the United States, Britain and Canada issued advisories warning their nationals of a possible terrorist attack in the twin-island republic.
