Israeli refuses to give info to cops

AN ISRAELI national found hiding in a forested area at Spring Road, Five Rivers, Arouca, on Friday has refused to tell intelligence officers why he is in this country. However, a couple detained along with the man has denied that he is involved in any illicit activities, although admitting to being unaware why he is in the country. A woman identified only as “Lynn”, who provided meals to the Israeli national was released by the police on Friday night. The arrest sent shock waves through the sleepy Five Rivers district. Yesterday, residents of the area told Sunday Newsday that the man first appeared in the area two months ago. They claimed he hardly spoke to anyone, apart from a brief greeting before walking away.

A teenager said the man who always carried a bag on his shoulders would board a taxi every morning and then return on evenings. He would walk about two miles into a dirt track at Spring Road to a wooden house where he stayed with a couple. Police sources said yesterday they were not ruling out the possibility that the man was linked to the recent bombings in Port-of-Spain. Acting on a tip-off, police officers trekked into the forested area on Friday where they executed a search warrant and arrested the man. They said they found an immigration stamp and several pieces of suspicious wires at the shack where the man was staying. Immigration records indicate that the man had overstayed his time in the country.

Police insiders said news of the Israeli’s arrest was not immediately communicated to Police Commissioner Trevor Paul, National Security Minister Martin Joseph, or Assistant Commissioner Dennis Graham, who has responsibility for the Northern and Eastern Divisions. When contacted for comment, senior officers said the investigator in the matter, a corporal, could not be reached yesterday for further information on the man, who is still detained in a cell at the Arouca Police Station. Officers there told Sunday Newsday that the man was interviewed by officers of the Special Anti Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT)  and the Special Intelligence Unit led by Assistant Police Commissioner James Philbert. Two officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) are also expected to interview the man.