7 soldiers in isolation as probe for missing rifle continues

Five privates and two recruits of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment First Battalion continued to be kept in isolation at Camp Ogden yesterday. The isolation started on Tuesday after a Galil assault rifle went missing. The rifle with an empty magazine had been entrusted to a recruit. Colonel Edmund Dillon, Commanding Officer of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, yesterday held a press conference to provide an update on the investigation.

He said Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Ancil Antoine would receive a report on the status of the investigations today. He also revealed that the Anti-Crime Unit, led by Brigadier Peter Joseph, and the Police Service were assisting in the investigation. According to Dillon, this is the first time since its acquisition in 1984 that a Galil assault rifle has gone missing from the TT Regiment. “The recovery of the weapon and the identification of the person or persons who are responsible for this action will remain the primary focus of the TT Regiment,” said Dillon. He added that anyone found culpable will face the consequences of their action.

He said the recruit who was entrusted with the weapon had already been questioned, but army intelligence officers assisting in the probe, recommended isolation of the seven, pending the outcome of the investigation. Colonel Maharaj is heading up the investigation at Camp Ogden. The Galil uses a 5.56 mm bullet and its effective killing range is approximately one mile.