PM: Govt identifies ‘Mr Big’ in bombings

Speaking on a motion on the adjournment of Parliament last night, the Prime Minister also asked all MPs present whose interest would be served if the Government was destabilised but cast no aspersions against anyone, including the Opposition UNC.

Manning stunned the MPs present when he disclosed: "The Government has a good idea who Mr Big is in this matter." However, he explained that under the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago, hard evidence and not information alone is required to bring someone to justice.

"What we are doing now is that we are collecting our information and we are bringing to bear the best technical expertise available to the Government of TT which very shortly we will supplement with expertise from Scotland Yard and the FBI," he declared.

The Prime Minister expressed confidence that once this is done, this will give TT "the best chance of successfully emerging from this situation and that we believe more than likely will bring the perpetrator to justice."

Categorically dismissing Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s assertions that Government was doing nothing about the bombings because it was in bed with the criminals, Manning reminded MPs that 40 bomb scares occurred in TT during the late 1980s when the nation was experiencing an energy boom on the international front and Opposition fragmentation on the local front. He added that the situation today was remarkably similar.

Asked by Oropouche MP Dr Roodal Moonilal whether there was a connection between TT’s energy booms and splits in the parliamentary opposition and the bombings, the Prime Minister said all he did was outline two scenarios and left it up to individual MPs to draw their own conclusions. "Examine the two situations. Ask who would have an interest in this situation in destabilising the Government of TT? Ask the question," declared Manning to thunderous desk-thumping from the Government benches. As Manning conferred with UNC political leader Winston Dookeran after Parliament’s adjournment, Persad-Bissessar told Newsday that she did not get the impression that Manning was accusing the UNC of being involved in the bombings.

Persad-Bissessar wondered whether the St James bombing was a direct attack on the PNM since several of its officials allegedly regard Smokey and Bunty’s Bar as their "watering hole." Expressing concern more bombings could occur and derail next year’s Carnival celebrations, Persad-Bissessar said Government could not reassure an already traumatised population there would be no more bombings. Joseph said the police received preliminary analyses from the FBI about the first three bombings at 3 pm, and are slowly but surely building their stock of evidence into the bombings. He said while the London bombings delayed the FBI’s investigations into the Port-of-Spain bombings, the FBI is now fully on the case and is drawing on the expertise of other international agencies to assist local authorities in bringing the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice.