Trini Muslims return home

The fifth, Wade Charles, was detained on arrival and taken to San Fernando Police Station. They were accompanied by a foreign service officer from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was among the first to emerge and to leave the airport, even before his charges were released.

The men, who had been held on suspicions of terrorist activities at a hotel in Venezuela on March 19, 2014, were not charged for the offence.

Instead they were found guilty by the Venezuelan courts for espionage.

After the terrorism charges had been dropped, the men had been asked to plead guilty to spying.

They had refused. Nevertheless they had been slapped with the espionage charge, found guilty, and sentenced to the time they had spent in the prison. Tears of joy from the family, relatives and friends of Asim Luqman who first emerged out of the customs and immigration area. His wife and Aamina Luqman and their children were on hand to greet him amidst laughter and tears. He emerged eating a cheese snack. Asked what he was looking forward to he said, “doubles.” Andre Battersby exited before Luqman unknown to relatives and the media waiting outside. To follow almost an hour after Luqman was Dominic Petilall whose wife Saadiqua Mohammed, three sons, brother and relatives converged on him. It was a tearful reunion and all that Petilall would say was that he was happy to be back with his family and to get to know his last son, Mohammed, who was six months old when he was detained in Venezuela.

A few minutes later, Leslie Daisley, took a side exit to be greeted by his wife Latoya Baptiste and son Abdur Rahman Daisley. Daisley, the nephew of Battersby, was too overwhelmed to say anything.

In spite of their incarceration, the men looked fairly well. As the crowd waited for Charles to emerge, Umar Abdullah, Head of the Islamic front told the media that he had been taken to the San Fernando Magistrate Court. “We are yet to find out what is taking place with Charles. I would be speaking with our lawyers to find out the reasons why he was taken to San Fernando.” It was heartbreaking for Charles’ mother Gloria Charles, who while waiting earlier in the day, had told Newsday, “I am the happiest mother alive!” On being told her son was to be detained, she cried out, “that is so unjust and so unfair. I stand up here like a fool for hours. Oh God. You all could have called me to see my child. They took my child and gone with him again!” Expressing how “fed up” she was with this Government, Charles said, “I was waiting to see my son walk through that door and instead get to hear that police take him to San Fernando Police Station. Oh God. You all have a heart. Monday is elections.” Even before Charles was detained, a relative (who did not want to be named) told Newsday, she was “feeling apprehensive” and felt that “The men would not walk free” or “They (immigration) will hold one of them.” She said it was “eerie” that there was heavy police presence at the airport.

When asked why the armed police presence, a senior police officer told Newsday, “It is elections time and we have to ensure security at the airport.” Asked if it was on account of the arrival of the five men, the officer said, the police would also have to ensure that nothing untoward happens on their arrival and they needed to ensure crowd control as well. Initially the men were due to arrive at noon.