Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, Stuart Young, says he will be visiting the malls during the long holiday weekend, in the wake of an alleged threat by international terrorist group Isis to target such facilities during the period.
Young said he was doing so because he was confident the nation’s law enforcement personnel and agencies were prepared for any eventuality.
He made the comment during a presentation to the Financial Investigations Branch at Riverside Plaza, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, as he provided an update on Thursday’s alleged bomb threat which resulted in Trincity and Long Circular Malls being evacuated, Young said he was satisfied proper protocols and procedures had been established by those responsible for ensuring the nation’s security. He said this was evident by the quick police response, followed by the three-hour sweep in which no suspicious packages were detected.
Praising law enforcement for their preparedness, Young said, “I can tell you that the authorities and those charged with the responsibility and duty are monitoring what is going on via interception and human intelligence, which means they have been working even before these things came to the fore and they will continue working.”
While advising the public to go about their daily lives normally this weekend, Young said: “Stay alert, go about your normal lives. It is a long weekend and we in T&T know how to enjoy ourselves, but just be careful by not taking anything for granted,” he said. (See page A6)