…on Soesdyke/Linden Highway
The burnt remains of the Tacoma pickup that was hijacked on the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway on Wednesday and believed to have been used to create mayhem in the city, was yesterday discovered at Millie’s Hideout, on the outskirts of Linden, with ammo and explosive material inside.
The burnt-out Tacoma on the trail yesterday.
The vehicle which was originally gold in colour was identified by its owner even though only a blackened shell remained, sources said yesterday.
According to a police press release around 6:30 am ranks recovered the vehicle which was taken away from miner Sean Embleton by a group of heavily armed gunmen after he and two of his employees were held up in the vicinity of Loo Creek along the Soes-dyke/Linden Highway just after midnight on Wednesday.
The vehicle which was used by the armed men during attacks on police stations among other activities including arson was found on a trail leading from Millie’s Hideout which is along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway and had been completely destroyed by fire, the release said.
It added that the police recovered an AK 47 magazine, six rounds of 7.62 x 39 ammunition, seven spent 7.62 x 39 shells, two bottles with a quantity of channa and two thunder squibs from the burnt vehicle.
Sources told Stabroek News that police in Georgetown received information on the whereabouts of the hijacked vehicle and subsequently contacted their colleagues in Linden.
Three ranks from the mining town journeyed to the area and found the torched vehicle on a trail in Millie’s Hide Out. The fire was already extinguished and the remains were hot, this newspaper understands.
While the entire shell was blackened from the inferno, the word Toyota was visibly on its tray. The number plate was also destroyed in the blaze as well as one of the bottles with channa.
The owner of the hijacked vehicle, who lives along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway, was later taken to the scene where he told the ranks that the vehicle was his, sources said.
After collecting the items that were found, the ranks left the area minus the vehicle. Up to late yesterday afternoon when this newspaper visited, it was still there.
The police have positively linked the destroyed vehicle to the attacks on the Brickdam Police Station and the East Ruimveldt Outpost as well as the abduction of the Health Ministry accused and the High Court fire.
Observers are questioning how the police could have positively placed this particular vehicle at the crime scenes and what logical explanation the perpetrators could have for driving it all the way to Georgetown to carry out the attacks and then back to the Linden/Soesdyke Highway.
For the perpetrators to have covered such a distance they would have had to pass through a number of road blocks on the East Bank and along the highway which were set up in wake of the pre-dawn attacks and it was unlikely that it would not have been noticed by the ranks since the police were in possession of the vehicle’s number.
Sources said that the area is secluded and even though the fire would have been big it would have been difficult for those travelling along the highway to see it burning.
Plying
In light of the hijacking which began with the abduction of the vehicle’s three occupants and later the murder of one, taxi drivers and bus operators plying the Linden/Georgetown route have reduced their night travel significantly out of fear.
There has also been a heightened police presence in the mining town and along the highway as police continue to investigate the series of events which occurred during a four-hour period.
A senior police officer has said that as investigations continue they are looking for three city residents who have been identified as being a part of the attacks on the police stations and the fires.
Asked how they could have been identified, the officer only revealed that they were seen by persons committing the acts. It seems that police have so far been able to ascertain the identities of five of the gunmen and even went as far as issuing wanted bulletins for two of them in connection with the mayhem.
Police Commissioner Henry Greene while dubbing the attacks at “terrorist acts” had revealed to the media that Health Ministry arson suspects Kurt Thierens, called ‘Bage’ or ‘Glasses’ and Colin Jones were positively identified as participants by Clayton Westford who was almost killed after being snatched from his home. However yesterday they had not yet been found even though several searches were conducted in Agricola, the East Coast and other areas
Sources told Stabroek News last evening that ballistic results for the test conducted on the shells recovered at the various crime scenes have revealed that the gunmen used three separate firearms and that they were not employed in any recent high profile crimes.
The campaign by the criminals started just after Wednesday midnight and ended just after 0300 hrs. From police reports, the gang comprised at least ten persons, including eight dressed in police attire, which raised alarm yesterday as police moved to intensify their operations.
According to the sequence provided by the police, around 00:15 hours armed men carjacked the three miners, one of whom-Wodette Roberts called ‘Buckman’- died, on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway. The men were handcuffed and duct-taped. Two managed to escape, with one reportedly running all the way to the Kuru Kururu Police Station where he recounted the incident to ranks. Some of the carjackers apparently journeyed to the city in the stolen vehicle.
Around 02:30 hours, three men dressed in dark clothing, armed with firearms and wearing toques, went to the West La Penitence home of Clayton Westford, one of the men charged with the Health Ministry fire. He had been released on bail. The man’s mother Pamela opened the door after the men claimed to be police ranks. They then handcuffed him before taking him away, ending up in the La Penitence Cemetery, according to reports.
There the man was assaulted after claims that “he is talking too much and giving evidence against them.” Westford managed to escape and the men discharged rounds at him but he was not injured.
He was hospitalized and placed under police guard but this newspaper has been told that the man has since been discharged.
Then at about 02:55 hours, three armed men also wearing dark clothing and toques, approached the female RK Security Guard at the High Court in Georgetown and told her not to be alarmed. Sources say that from all indications, this was another group of gunmen.
One of them remained with the guard, while the others went to the Registry and later a fire was seen coming from that area. All three men then left in a gold coloured Tacoma pick-up vehicle which from all appearances was the one taken from the men on the Highway. The Fire Service was summoned and extinguished the fire, Greene said stating that damage was done to some records and a part of the building. A quantity of channa was found in the building.
At 03:00 hrs a group of armed gunmen in the gold coloured Tacoma vehicle proceeded to the Brickdam Police Station where they threw a grenade at a police vehicle driven by Lance Corporal 17830 Cummings, who was about to enter the compound. However, the grenade failed to explode. It is in the custody of the police.
Subsequently, at about 03:15 hours, while Westford’s father, Clifton, was making a report at the East Ruimveldt Outpost in relation to the incident involving his son, the Tacoma pick up along with a white motor car bearing registration number plate PLL 6081 approached and shots were discharged at the station hitting the concrete wall. No one was injured. Two 7.62 x 39 spent shells were found by the police.
Later, at approximately 03:30 hrs person(s) unknown entered the Richard Ishmael Secondary School and set fire to several areas of the building. However, the fire was put out as a result of the quick action by public-spirited citizens and the fire service.
Following the attacks police recovered a white wagon at Houston with three bullet holes on the hood and windscreen.
Residents recalled being awakened to persons identifying themselves as police banging on their doors. One woman said that the persons told them that they were looking for some men. They did not say in connection with what.
No one recalled seeing or hearing any thing suspicious before then and residents were later surprised to hear that a car which was used to create the mayhem in the city was found near their homes.
Though promised there was no evidence of a heightened police presence when this newspaper visited several parts of the city and East Bank yesterday.
At the end of the day the owner will get a new vehicle…..because they have all the money to purchase another vehicle…poor people in Guyana aint got no money to waste like that…
When this government loses the next election many of you overseas bloggers and Guyanese can come back because it will be better than what it is right now!!!
Well said. I would like to invest and create jobs for Guyanese in Guyana, but the current government makes it very difficult to do so. I hope the next gov’t (not the PPP) can encourage better progress and better management in Guyana.
Winie and Sf….. You all want the Burnham era back so bad that you would just mouth off with no sense!!!
It’s just your way of thinking. I am not a ppp supporter,I am a supporter of Democracy, and Democracy has returned to Guyana. In other words the people will speak at the polls. Maybe our next President should be of Amerindian extraction, for Amerindians went to Guyana (GUIANA,THE LAND OF MANY WATERS) the land of the Wapishana and the Wai Wai ten thousand years ago. Our forebearers went there and disrupted them, just like we did in Haiti. Stop your racist rhetoric!!!
Amrit hush your mouth. You know fully well that democracy is not free elections. You should go back to Guyana and enjoy the democracy of the PPP. See how fast you will be heading out of there.
The people of Agricola should be outraged that their village was scapegoated by the orchestrators of this smoke screen.
This seems to herald a new wave of “fineman” type citizen terror activities (re-birth of the fineman era) The covert strategies that people will adopt to achieve their aims. The country and its citizens loose. Zimbabwe and the rest springs to mind
wag the dog Bob this is wag the dog.
notice how all these events always happen when the PPP govt in crises?
Dont fall for the games my man.
“with ammo and explosive material inside”.
SN BIAS TO THE CORE, i read the other prints, they mention “ammo magazine, shells and war heads”.
how on earth you can find live ammo and explosive in a burnt out vehicle.
AS USUAL PROFIT IS THE GOLD AT THE END OF THE DAY.
MODERATOR WHERE WERE THE ROAD BLOCKS? how honest are you people?
Satish. Why Zimbabwe. Now two days in a row. What about Northern Ireland and the rest. What are you trying to infer. SN you scrub my blogs, yet you allow some people like Satish and Reddy to air their veiled racist comments. Let’s be fair and balanced.
People who see these recent attacks in Guyana as a fitting retaliation against the government and its current policies fails to realize that these acts create an even more fragile future for the country. When we look at most countries around the world that are in turmoil, we’ll see that their state of being all started with irresponsible, rebellious actions against government and its citizens ; similarly to that which is happening in Guyana.
Another observation about most “Resistance” fighters is that their purpose is execute political or radical religious agendas. Government and its institutions are usually the prime targets.
The planners of the current and past destruction in Guyana are well hidden. Their motive is more than likely political as suggest by their constant efforts to destabilize the country or create a state of fear and division.
Constant change is necessary in every country especially a developing one like Guyana; however, if destruction is the tool used to bring about change, a transformation far worse than the current state may result.
RodRick:
Very good articulation. If some of these people had half a brain, they would appreciate your blog. Sad indeed.
Dude, the dotish ones here see the attacks as retaliation by against the gobernment.
The sensible ones see it as orchestrated by the dancers who is beating their own drums.
If some of you know anything about Guyana, you’ll know that the burning of the Registry would be a major set back for the Government and people. This public place keeps duplicates of Property Transport, Wills and other vital records of interest. The Registry also serves as an archive that is key to regulating certain transaction; millions in tax revenues are collected weekly thanks to the function of this department.
No government would want to loose millions in collected taxes.
This story has more twist and turns than a giant pretzel. It has also significant holes. How did the Toyota vehicle avoid detection after roadblocks were erected? how did Gopaul and Embleton escape their captors?
ask SN where were the road blocks. if they can answer.
who owned the veicle…registration,insurance etc…….get oversea forensic team to check it out.
The whole thing makes no sense. Why hijack a vehicle, commit attacks in Georgetown, drive back to Linden and torch the vehicle. Any sensible individual would have abandoned the vehicle somewhere in Georgetown, out of site, then ‘high tail’ it back to Linden in another vehicle. And with all the eventual fire, I am amazed the ammo and explosive material did not explode. I smell a rat.
Burnt remains ,only a blackened shell remain . Yet they found ammo and explosive material inside . Them two things and fire na friends. Why is it you jokers think people is that stupid ?
Hmmm…vehicle torched, yet there are flammable materials that were not destroyed. The brains behind these attacks are milking the stupidity of some of their unsuspecting supporters. They are becoming more sophisticated in their methods to make the GPF’s version of events seem unbelievable. I think they will get some support here from the usual gullible folks!
LOL…I totally agree with u,the writers for this article should be fired!
This so called story deserved the one opening paragraph. All the rest is repetitive and speculative junk with the mandatory SN “Observers” and “sources” who are “questioning”.
Notwithstanding SN’s unwillingness to hire me for an editor’s job, I would have put in a second paragraph;”A pattern of past terrorist attacks has shown the torching of the vehicle to erase incriminating evidence therein is futile because all the perpetuators gon soon dead when they don’t obey instructions of disciplined forces.”
Opps, “gon soon dead” will have to be changed by sub-editor to “will meet with the appropiate response”…
I agree with ur second paragraph…more or likely they ‘gon end up dead’and the masses would cry police brutality.
Reddy, for the torture story you reminded pretty silent, for there was no editing on your part.
In your case you will meet with the appropriate response, Wiggins from Barbados.
For others, it we were still living in the middle ages, they would have met with the appropriate response, the Stake.
Reddy I take issue with the things you try to perpetrate on this blog. Are you sure you are not passing this info (”the torching of the vehicle to erase incriminating evidence”)to your comrades in Government?
Total nonsense from the police report “It added that the police recovered an AK 47 magazine, six rounds of 7.62 x 39 ammunition, seven spent 7.62 x 39 shells, two bottles with a quantity of channa and two thunder squibs from the burnt vehicle”.
Heat, especially intense heat that destroyed this 4×4 and live ammo, bottles and squibs are not friends. The only thing that would have been recognized was the shells. So for the inept and asinine police to say they recovered the above items well………total nonsense that they are walking in.
Becareful what you whis for!
PPP trying to own the press even when they can barely manage chranicle and have to subsidize that junk.
reddy why u dont guh and tek over chranicle and show us how to run a newspaper?
Add to that paragraph, “after we kill them then we gon ask them who pulling their strings and who financing them”. Brilliant police work Reddy. Go to the head of the class. In fact take the day off on the beach.
Observers are questioning how the police could have positively placed this particular vehicle at the crime scenes and what logical explanation the perpetrators could have for driving it all the way to Georgetown to carry out the attacks and then back to the Linden/Soesdyke Highway.
For the perpetrators to have covered such a distance they would have had to pass through a number of road blocks on the East Bank and along the highway which were set up in wake of the pre-dawn attacks and it was unlikely that it would not have been noticed by the ranks since the police were in possession of the vehicle’s number.
Sources said that the area is secluded and even though the fire would have been big it would have been difficult for those travelling along the highway to see it burning.
Comments: I think we are being taken for a ride with the discovery of this vehicle.
One of my many PPP big shot friends called me from GT last night and said. Looks like we mess this one up Pilot .If they had keep Green in the loop the GPF would have come up with a better story they are very good at that.
This is just to distract the public from the horror of that child.
Insure-and-burn was from V.S.Naipaul’s House for Mr Biswas. This is burn-and-insure.
Hackett that book was a classic, i enjoyed reading that book during my school days.
this seems like a movie where you watch at fiction and laugh saying ‘Picture like a Picture’. One vechicle should never have been allowed to commit all those crimes. Get to the bottom of it, is there another Roger Khan in Guyana. Too mamy things happened in one night and the vechicle was able to return to Linden. This story is just not adding up.Is this a distraction to some ongoing issue?