The man held for questioning about his links to one of the men wanted for recent attacks in the city was released yesterday on $10, 000 station bail and accused police of assaulting him during his arrest.
Muammar Jabbar, 22, of Albouystown, told Stabroek News that he was released on bail and told to return to police headquarters tomorrow. “This is victimization. They just pick me up just so fuh nothing. I ain’t got no criminal record,” the man said.
Police last week issued wanted bulletins for Charles known as `Pumpkin’ or `Perkins’, Shawn Benn; Troy Ellis; Colin Jones called `Bunny’; Kurt Thierens called ‘Glasses;’ and arson accused Keith Ferrier called `General’ in connection with the November 4 attacks, which included murder, robbery and setting fire to two public buildings. Jones and Thierens had escaped from the Providence Police Station lockups, shortly after they were held for questioning into the Ministry of Health Fire earlier this year. Benn and Ellis later turned up at the Brickdam Police Station in the company of their lawyers. The two men remain in police custody.
Clarke’s relatives have since said he could not have committed the crimes he is being implicated in since he has been in French Guiana since May but the police have said that their records show that he returned here on March 31. There are no records of him leaving after that.
Jabbar is a friend of Clarke. Recalling last Thursday when he was arrested, Jabbar said police told him he was wanted at the station. He said that none of the officers told him for what and he later leant that someone had linked him to a wanted man. Jabbar stated that when he was placed in one of the police vehicles minutes after he was held, one of the officers hit him several times in the chest with a gun. He was not assaulted again while in custody.
According to Jabbar, after sitting on a bench for about two hours, an inspector began questioning him about one of the men and he told him he had never seen or spoken to that person. He said that during the questioning he admitted that he knew Charles Clarke, who is one of the men that the police were looking for in relation to the attacks. The man said that the ranks accused him of making contact with the men and being in the company of one of them. He denied the accusations.
He said that investigators have kept his cellular phone and his work identification card.