The nine T&T nationals detained in Turkey have not yet left there to return home and they are still being processed by Turkish authorities, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon confirmed yesterday.
The Turkey Daily Sabah recently reported the nine were held in Turkey on July 27 along with a Syrian man who was taking them, via truck, to Syria for recruitment by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) as foreign terrorist fighters. It was stated that the nine will be deported back to T&T. They are at Turkey’s Adana detention centre.
The T&T Guardian received information the group included several women and a young child as well as several men.
Dillon did not confirm or deny that but stressed Government would be receiving information from the Turkish authorities once processing of the group was completed and any moves to send them back to T&T began.
He also confirmed he was working out arrangements to meet for talks with members of the Muslim community. That should be within the next couple weeks, he added.
Following a call by a T&T-born Isis fighter, Abu S’ad at-Trinidadi (reportedly Shane Crawford), Dillon said in an exclusive Sunday Guardian story he wanted to meet with members of the community to understand the motivation and root causes of why people were leaving to join Isis.
A number of Muslim community leaders, including attorney Nafeesa Mohammed, last weekend indicated an interest to meet with Dillon.
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, back from vacation, also said yesterday he was checking with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the detained T&T nine in Turkey. Government assigned Foreign Affairs to deal with the matter, via diplomatic channels.
Al-Rawi is due to bring legislation early next month to Parliament to deal with returning T&T terrorist fighters (FTFs). He had assured that suspected local FTFs were under surveillance.
He told the T&T Guardian yesterday legislating the United Nations resolution on terrorism, signed in 2014 by the past administration, was also high on Government’s agenda.
After designating convicted JFK bomb plotter Kareem Ibrahim and Isis as terrorist entities under the anti-terrorism law the AG’s office on July 25 applied to the court for similar declarations for 75 other entities and individuals.
He said the list involved four batches comprising 75 designated entities as well as three individuals. His office is awaiting a court date for the matter.
T&T does not yet figure on the UN Security Council’s list of entities/persons deemed terrorists. That list will be updated next month.
