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ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=trinidad
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=tobago

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ON THE NET...

http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369924

Volume 4, Issue 5 (March 9, 2006) | Download PDF Version
Terrorism Monitor

"Jamaat al-Muslimeen on Trial in Trinidad and Tobago"
By Chris Zambelis

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The ongoing legal case against Imam Yasin Abu Bakr, the founder and leader of Trinidad's and Tobago's Jamaat al-Muslimeen (Muslim Group), continues to shed light on the group's radical and criminal activities.

The 64 year-old Abu Bakr is a former police officer and Afro-Trinidadian Muslim convert born Lenox Philip. He has been a thorn in the side of the Trinidadian authorities and a fixture of Trinidadian politics since the mid-1980s. He is best known for leading over 100 members of the Jamaat in storming the National Parliament and taking the prime minister and the cabinet hostage in 1990 to protest a land ownership dispute with the government, poverty in the Afro-Trinidadian community, and state corruption. The ensuing siege set off rioting and violence in the capital of Port of Spain that resulted in scores of deaths and injuries and heavy damages. It also left an indelible mark on Trinidadian politics that is still felt today.

He and others involved in the coup attempt escaped prosecution and subsequent imprisonment after negotiations to end the hostage standoff resulted in a general amnesty for him and his organization.

Abu Bakr's latest antics have led to his arrest and incarceration since November 2005 on terrorism and weapons charges. The latest charges implicate Abu Bakr in a string of bombings that hit Port of Spain and St. James in 2005. He is also accused of ordering the murder of former members of the Jamaat that were expelled or split from the group because of ideological differences or shifts in allegiance to rival Afro-Trinidadian Muslim groups (Tobago Express, January 20; Trinidad Guardian, January 28, 2005).

Over the years, the Jamaat has been tied to extensive criminal activity that includes narcotics and weapons trafficking, kidnapping for ransom—a growing problem in Trinidad and a favorite tactic of urban street gangs—money laundering, and extortion. In fact, many observers count the Jamaat alongside Trinidad's most notorious street gangs in terms of criminal prowess. The Jamaat is also known to wage turf battles with rival groups for influence over territory."