The political activist who was found dead in his Alexander Village home on Wednesday died as a result of blunt trauma to the head, government pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh found during a post-mortem examination yesterday.

And as the police continue their investigations,  the trio arrested following the discovery was still being held up to press time last evening.

Fiesal Ferose Ali, 48, of Lot 179 Mandela Avenue, Alexander Village was discovered dead in his bed, with stab wounds to the upper body and a wound to the back of the head

A bloody knife and a hammer were later removed from the scene by investigators and the man’s computer system was discovered to be missing.

Two suspects were apprehended on Wednesday while a third was arrested on Thursday afternoon. Two of the men are friends of Ali, who would stay at his home periodically.

Meena De Souza, the man’s maid had told Stabroek News that she arrived as customary just before 9 am on Wednesday to do her chores but found the back door pushed in and the padlock on but unlocked. Believing nothing was wrong she entered the house and met Ali’s mentally challenged brother, who indicated his brother was in his bedroom. Fifteen minutes later, a friend turned up for Ali and while De Souza was against waking him the man persisted and entered the bedroom where he discovered the body.

De Souza and the man was held for questioning but subsequently released.

Neighbours had told Stabroek News that they heard nothing. They believed that the killing occurred during a heavy downpour earlier that morning.

Ali was well-known in political circles. His National Republican Party – a splinter of the United Republican Party – joined with several other parties to form the National Front Alliance (NFA), which banded together with the PNCR to contest the 2006 general elections as the PNCR-1G. Ali was a candidate for the party.