The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) has sought to assure the public that it is treating reports of bomb threats across the country ‘seriously’ and are urging the population ‘to remain calm, avoid spreading unverified information and refrain from sharing material that may cause unnecessary alarm or panic’.
The police said that it is aware of reports of bomb threats received at multiple locations over the last weekend and that ‘the reports are being treated seriously’.
It said officers of the Explosive Detection and Disposal Unit (EDDU), supported by officers from the respective police stations and Criminal Investigations Department (CID), responded to the reported incidents and conducted checks at the affected locations.
According to the police the bomb threats were made at several locations including the Forestry Division and the Kapok Hotel, where ‘no suspicious items were found and the premises was deemed safe.
‘The TTPS is continuing to assess the reports and is conducting enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the threats. Members of the public are urged to remain calm, avoid spreading unverified information and refrain from sharing material that may cause unnecessary alarm or panic.’
The police are urging anyone with information that may assist the police is encouraged to contact the nearest police station and that it ‘remains committed to safeguarding the public and will provide further information as it becomes available’.
Last week, Homeland Security Minister, Roger Alexander, said that an ‘arrest is imminent’ following earlier bomb threats this month.
He said law enforcement is closing in on a suspect connected to the threats but refused to give further details.
‘When you do an investigation, you can’t tell everybody anything,’ Alexander said, adding that a suspect could be monitoring public statements and adjusting their actions based on information released by authorities.
Earlier this month, the TTPS confirmed that there had been at least seven reports of bomb threats across the country and that the threats were ‘received through different mediums’ and the locations were the Arima Magistrates’ Court, the Princes Town Magistrates’ Court, the Chaguanas Magistrates’ Court, the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government, the Siparia Magistrates’ Court, the Sangre Grande Magistrates’ Court and the Valpark Shopping Plaza