Police Commissioner Henry Greene yesterday said that investigators are probing the theory that the man killed in yesterday’s Stabroek Market grenade explosion was a courier of illegal arms and other substances.
Greene and Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee held a news briefing last night to give an update on the case and it was reiterated that the device, confirmed as a fragmentation grenade, had not been thrown or planted. “ … It was in the hands of the deceased at the time of its explosion. Whether he was given the device or found it is a matter for speculation at this point in time. It is anticipated that these speculations will be clarified in the course of the investigations,” Rohee said.
Greene said the body of the dead man, identified only as “American,” was missing the left arm from the elbow down and there were injuries to the left side of his abdomen and face. He said 50 pieces of fragments along with fingers and finger nails were found in the ceiling of the shop in which the device exploded. However, the police up to the briefing time had not located the pin or lever from the grenade, he added. “This `American’ is called a junkie; he’s one of those persons who … would hang around the market, do odds and end jobs … and collect any little money to do anything and it would appear as though he might have had this thing in his hand either waiting to sell or whatever he might have been doing, we’re not sure but he had to play with it to pull the pin…,” Rohee explained.
Meanwhile, Greene said there are many theories and they suspect that the deceased was one of the persons being used for the transfer of illegal arms and other substances. “He might have been one of the men being used for such purposes and not realising the danger to himself … resulting in his own demise,” he said.
However, in response to a question, Greene said he has received no information indicating that the man was known by the police.
He also related that the owner of the shop in which the explosion occurred said the man was cleaning in the area at the time the device went off. The shop owner’s home was searched and Greene said nothing illegal was found so far.
He noted that police have intensified work in the Stabroek area in recent months with an increased presence of both plain clothes and uniformed personnel. According to him, their work has stymied some of the illegal activities. Much more “decisive action will be taken” to restore a safe atmosphere, he further emphasised.
Rohee said he has been speaking for some time now about numerous illegal activities in and around Stabroek Market and there are several reports of daylight robberies, with sources indicating that there are “at least 15 robberies” occurring in the area daily. He said numerous “lawless activities” taking place in the area included illegal rum shops, trafficking in narcotics and small amounts of ammunition, vending of stolen articles and the vending of raw gold, which is illegal.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs is of the view that decisive action must be taken to remove this dangerous situation… Today’s (yesterday’s) explosion has demonstrated that this situation poses a danger to the public as well as those who vend in the area. It is in the interest of public-spirited citizens who frequent that area as well as those who vend their goods legally in that area to support whatever action is taken by the competent authorities to ensure that the area is safe and secure for the public at large,” Rohee declared.
He also conveyed the government’s sympathies to those injured in the explosion and to their families.
