Trinidad and Tobago extends state of emergency as threats hatched in prison persist
Authorities recently moved high-risk prisoners to military bases as part of a recent crackdown on jailed gang leaders accused of using smuggled cellphones to plot a series of assassinations, robberies and kidnappings with help from criminal associates on the outside.
Attorney General John Jeremie revealed to Parliament on Monday that some prison guards could openly be heard warning inmates when specialized police agents showed up to conduct prison raids, and he also accused some attorneys of illegally helping those behind bars.
'The system has been compromised, and it has been serving inmates as a protected criminal command center,' Jeremie said.
The latest state of emergency in Trinidad and Tobago was extended for three months after authorities warned that the threat of a plot to kill key government officials and attack public institutions still exists.
The initial emergency was declared on July 18 and was expected to last 15 days. However, the Caribbean nation's Parliament convened an extraordinary sitting on Monday to extend the measure until late October.
'We are here for an extension, we are here because the threat exists,' Saddam Hosein, legal affairs minister, said during the sitting.
Prisoners who were deemed 'high risk' were moved to military bases in west Trinidad, but that didn't deter attempts to interfere with their detention, according to the attorney general.
'Those locations that they were removed to were very recently also infiltrated by two drones,' Jeremie said, adding the military thwarted those attempts.
Meanwhile, the Prison Officers' Association, which represents prison guards, has condemned the accusations against the guards.
It's the second state of emergency that the twin-island republic implements in a matter of months. Last December, authorities took similar action, citing concerns about gang violence. That state of emergency lasted until mid-April.
While members of Parliament from both the government and the opposition unanimously voted in favor of extending the emergency, the main opposition questioned whether there had been any major arrests in the first 10 days of the measure being in place.
Government officials noted that police have arrested more than 340 people and launched over 800 operations so far.
The extended emergency was approved a day after Trinidad and Tobago marked 35 years since the failed coup by the Islamist group Jamaat-al-Muslimeen, which left 24 people dead. The attorney general referenced that insurrection, saying the present circumstances are 'not dissimilar from those at that time.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
India to maintain Russian oil import despite Trump threats, government sources say
India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite President Trump's threats of penalties, two Indian government sources told Reuters on Saturday, not wishing to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. On top of a new 25% tariff on India's exports to the US, Trump indicated in a Truth Social post last month that India would face additional penalties for purchases of Russian arms and oil. On Friday, Trump told reporters he had heard that India would no longer be buying oil from Russia. 3 President Trump spoke with reporters before boarding Marine One on Friday. AP But the sources said there would be no immediate changes. 'These are long-term oil contracts,' one of the sources said. 'It is not so simple to just stop buying overnight.' Justifying India's oil purchases from Russia, a second source said India's imports of Russian grades had helped avoid a global surge in oil prices, which have remained subdued despite Western curbs on the Russian oil sector. Unlike Iranian and Venezuelan oil, Russian crude is not subject to direct sanctions, and India is buying it below the current price cap fixed by the European Union, the source said. The New York Times also quoted two unnamed senior Indian officials on Saturday as saying there had been no change in Indian government policy. Indian government authorities did not respond to Reuters' request for official comment on its oil purchasing intentions. 3 Russian President Vladimir Putin and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted each other at a meeting in New Delhi in Dec. 2021. AFP via Getty Images However, during a regular press briefing on Friday, foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has a 'steady and time-tested partnership' with Russia. 'On our energy sourcing requirements … we look at what is there available in the markets, what is there on offer, and also what is the prevailing global situation or circumstances,' he said. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. INDIA'S TOP SUPPLIER Trump, who has made ending Russia's war in Ukraine a priority of his administration since returning to office this year, has expressed growing impatience with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks. He has threatened 100% tariffs on US imports from countries that buy Russian oil unless Moscow reaches a major peace deal with Ukraine. 3 An oil pump jack outside of Almetyevsk,Russia on July 14, 2025. REUTERS Russia is the leading supplier to India, the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer, accounting for about 35% of its overall supplies. India imported about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil from January to June this year, up 1% from a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by sources. But while the Indian government may not be deterred by Trump's threats, sources told Reuters this week that Indian state refiners stopped buying Russian oil after July discounts narrowed to their lowest since 2022 – when sanctions were first imposed on Moscow – due to lower Russian exports and steady demand. Indian Oil Corp, Hindustan Petroleum Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Mangalore Refinery Petrochemical Ltd have not sought Russian crude in the past week or so, four sources told Reuters. Nayara Energy – a refinery majority-owned by Russian entities, including oil major Rosneft, and major buyer of Russian oil – was recently sanctioned by the EU. Nayara's chief executive resigned following the sanctions, and three vessels laden with oil products from Nayara Energy have yet to discharge their cargoes, hindered by the new EU sanctions, Reuters reported last week.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump news at a glance: president unleashes slew of new tariff rates for trading partners
Donald Trump has signed an executive order placing tariffs on dozens of US trading partners just hours before the 1 August deadline he set for deals to be done. The new tariffs, the next step in his trade agenda that will test the global economy, are set to go into effect in seven days. The extension reflects the government's need for more time to harmonize the tariff rates, AP reports, according to a senior official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity. The order applies to 68 countries and the 27-member European Union. Rates were set at 25% for India's US-bound exports, 20% for Taiwan, 19% for Thailand and 15% for South Korea. Trump also increased duties on Canadian goods to 35% from 25% for all products not covered by the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, but gave Mexico a 90-day reprieve from higher tariffs to negotiate a broader trade deal. Trump had threatened on Wednesday that Ottawa's move to recognise a Palestinian state would make agreeing a trade deal 'very hard'. Asian shares fell on Friday after the tariffs announcement. Read on for more on tariffs and other key US politics news of the day: Trump imposes tariffs of 10% to 41% on dozens of countries, hours before deadline US president Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing reciprocal tariffs ranging from 10% to 41% on imports from dozens of countries and foreign locations, as he extended the deadline for a tariff deal with Mexico by another 90 days. Rates were set at 25% for India's US-bound exports, 20% for Taiwan and 30% for South Africa ahead of Trump's self-imposed deadline to strike trade deals with countries around the world by 1 August. Brazil's tariff rate was set at 10%, but a previous order signed by Trump placed a 40% tariff on some Brazilian goods, to punish the country for prosecuting its former president, Jair Bolsonaro, for trying to overturn an election he lost and inspiring his supporters to storm the seat of government. Separately, the White House announced that Canadian imports will face tariffs of 35%, not the current 25%. Trump had threatened on Wednesday that Ottawa's move to recognise a Palestinian state would make agreeing a trade deal 'very hard'. Read the full story Trump signs order increasing tariffs on Canadian goods from 25% to 35% Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday increasing tariffs on Canadian goods imported to the United States from 25% to 35%. The new import tax rates goes into effect on Friday, according to a White House factsheet. The tariff would cover all products not covered by the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Goods transshipped to another country to evade the new tariffs would be subject to a transshipment levy of 40%. The decision comes after months of tariff threats from the Trump administration, and escalating trade tensions that have sowed anger in Canada. Read the full story Trump threatens drug giants with crackdown over prices Donald Trump has threatened to use 'every tool in our arsenal' to crack down on pharmaceutical companies if they fail to cut drug prices for Americans within 60 days. The president wrote to executives at 17 companies on Thursday, demanding they match their US prices for prescription drugs with the lowest price offered in other developed nations. Read the full story Executive order brings back presidential fitness test in schools Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to bring back the presidential fitness test, a series of physical tests for schoolchildren in the US that was in place for decades but suspended 12 years ago to focus less on competition and more on healthy lifestyles. Read the full story Hegseth aides used polygraphs against colleagues Senior aides to the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, conducted polygraphs on their own colleagues this spring, in some cases as part of an effort to flush out anyone who leaked to the media and apparently to undercut rivals in others, according to four people familiar with the matter. Read the full story Fema denies grants to Kentucky counties ravaged by storms The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) denied requests for three Kentucky counties affected by severe storms last spring, and deemed the state ineligible for hazard mitigation grants that would help prepare for future disasters. Read the full story Trump to build 'beautiful' $200m ballroom at White House The White House will soon begin construction of a new $200m ballroom to be ready before Donald Trump's term ends in early 2029. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the building will be 90,000 sq ft and will hold up to 650 seats. It will be the latest change introduced to what's known as 'the People's House' since the Republican president returned to office in January. It also will be the first structural change to the executive mansion itself since the addition of the Truman Balcony in 1948. Read the full story What else happened today: British singer Jess Glynne says she feels 'sick' that the Trump administration was using her music to promote immigration deportations. originally sent to the state by the Trump administration to deal with protests over its immigration policies. Donald Trump evaded the question when asked if he agrees with Marjorie Taylor Greene that 'what is occurring [in Gaza] is a genocide'. Trump replied: 'Oh it's terrible what's occurring there, yeah', before repeating his complaint that 'nobody said thank you' when the US donated money to feed the people of Gaza, and his false claim that the recent donation of $30m was $60m. Reuters reports the Trump administration to Harvard informing the university it has referred been referred to the Department of Justice, to address allegations of antisemitic discrimination. Catching up? Here's what happened 30 July 2025.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
MP investigated over late filing of overseas trip
Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles is being investigated by the parliamentary standards watchdog over claims that she was late declaring a trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories. The standards commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, announced that he was looking into a possible breach under rules about the declaration of an interest and the late registration of an interest. In the most recent filings, Eccles listed a trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories, sponsored by Labour Friends of Israel, with flights, accommodation and meals totalling £2,600. Ms Eccles has been contacted for a comment. Parliamentary rules state MPs must "always be open and frank in declaring any relevant interest" and register such interests within 28 days. The trip was listed as having taken place between 25 and 29 May but was registered with officials on 9 July. The purpose of the visit was described as being for meetings with politicians, academics, activists and diplomats. The Express and Star reported on Saturday that a spokesperson for the MP said missing the deadline was due to an administrative error and there had not been any attempt to conceal the trip. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story Standards watchdog investigates Nigel Farage MP Neil Shastri-Hurst under investigation Essex MP investigated by standards commissioner Labour MP Tahir Ali faces expenses probe Related internet links MP Cat Eccles
