Another man wanted in connection with last Wednesday’s attacks in the city turned himself over to the police yesterday and was up to press time still is custody assisting with investigations.
In a statement last evening, police disclosed that Shawn Benn, 42 of Princess Street, Lodge, went to the Brickdam Police Station, accompanied by his lawyer, Nigel Hughes. Benn is the second suspect in the space of twenty-four hours to surrender after police released wanted bulletins, including photographs of the eight suspects, earlier this week.
Troy Ellis, 33, of Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke/Linden Highway, whose name police had incorrectly given as Trevor Archer, turned up at the Brickdam Police station around 11am on Wednesday accompanied by lawyer.
Charles Clarke called ‘Pumpkin’ or ‘Perkin; Colin Jones called `Bunny’; Kurt Thierens called ‘Glasses;’ and arson accused Keith Ferrier called `General’ are the others wanted for questioning in connection with the November 4 attacks, which included murder, robbery and setting fire to two public buildings. Jones and Thierens had previously escaped from the Providence Police Station lockups shortly after they were held for questioning into the Ministry of Health Fire earlier this year.
Clarke’s relatives have since said that he could not have committed the crimes he is being implicated in since he has been in French Guiana since May.
The police force, in response, has said that their records show that he left Guyana on November 10, 2008 and returned here on March 31, 2008. They said that they have no record of him leaving these shores since them.
The last word from the family was that they were trying to make contact with the young man, who is doing construction work in the French territory.
Benn’s mother, Vilma during an interview with Stabroek News on Thursday, had expressed disappointment that the police released photographs of the men without stating all the facts.
The woman who was very upset returned home from Canada after receiving word that her son’s photographs was on the front page of the newspaper and he was wanted for criminal activities that occurred in the city.
She had said that she believed that the police were trying to make the eight men scapegoats. Benn, who was deported from Canada years ago, has been in trouble with the law and currently has a matter before the court.
Meanwhile, Muammar Jabbar, a friend of Clarke who was arrested on Thursday, remains in police custody. Investigators have told his relatives that they will be checking his cell phone records.
An upset Abdul Jabbar, called `Hector,’ told this newspaper last evening “I am deeply distressed because I know that my son has done nothing wrong.” He was told to return to police headquarters this morning. He said too that the police were very deceitful because they had told him to come to the station yesterday morning to see his son but the young man was never brought.
The elder Jabbar said that the officers are now saying that it is not Clarke his son is being linked to but another of the wanted men. However, they did not want to release a name to him for “security reasons.” The man said that from the beginning, his son made it clear to the police that he knew Clarke but did not know where he was. According to Abdul, he was told yesterday that his son’s phone is being checked to ascertain if he was in contact with the wanted man. He said too that his wife was able to see his son and from what they saw he is not physically hurt.
Van loads of policemen swooped down on James Street, Albouystown where the 22-year-old Jabbar resided and after searching his home and several others, he was arrested. Initially relatives were not told why he was being held but they later learnt that a report was made that he was seen with one of the wanted men. They suspected that that person was Clarke since the two were close.
