Mobil gas station bombing: Prosecutor presents new evidence as suspects return to court 

The four main suspects in the fatal explosion at the Mobil Gas Station in Georgetown were back before the court on Wednesday, as the terrorism case against them continued.

Appearing virtually before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty were 33-year-old Venezuelan national Daniel Alexander Ramirez Poedemo, believed to be the mastermind behind the attack, along with 44-year-old Alexander Bettencourt, 27-year-old Johnny Boodram, and 33-year-old Krystal LaCruz.
The quartet has been charged with terrorism in connection with the October 26 explosion at the Regent and King Streets gas station, which claimed the life of six-year-old Soraya Bourne and injured several others.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, Police Prosecutor Mandel Moore submitted a file of new evidence documents to the court and indicated that further disclosures would be made when the matter returns on December 3.
However, Attorney Mikel Puran, who represents Boodram, pressed the prosecution to hand over additional materials, including Police diaries and related records, which he said are critical to his client’s defence.
Puran, maintaining that Boodram was simply a taxi driver caught up in the incident, told reporters after the hearing that the requested documents would demonstrate his client’s innocence.
According to the attorney, Boodram operates out of Region Three and frequently provides transport for Krystal LaCruz, who runs a bar in the same region. On the day of the bombing, Puran said, LaCruz hired Boodram to drive her.
The four accused, Poedemo, Bettencourt, Boodram, and LaCruz, remain on remand pending the continuation of the case.
Meanwhile, the three others, charged separately, Wayne Corriea, Ramesh Pramdeo, and Jennifer Rodriguez, are scheduled to return to the Leonora Magistrates’ Court on November 24.
Investigations have revealed that Poedemo, who reportedly entered Guyana illegally on the morning of the attack, orchestrated the coordinated attack. Police have since said that between 11:00h and noon on the day of the bombing, Poedemo and his accomplices conducted surveillance at the fuel station to prepare for the attack. Later in the day, he attempted to conceal an explosive device in a garbage bin near the gas pumps. When stopped by an employee, he placed the device at another section of the facility and fled moments before the explosion. CCTV footage and digital evidence, including photos of the explosive and clothing believed to have been worn during the attack, were recovered from a house in Vergenoegen, Region Three (Essequibo Island – West Demerara), where Poedemo was later arrested.
Investigators stated that Bettancourt crossed into Guyana with Poedemo and assisted in carrying out parts of the plan, while Boodram, a 27-year-old taxi driver, transported some of the suspects to the gas station hours before the explosion in what authorities believe was a surveillance exercise.
According to investigators, Correia contacted Pramdeo to transport LaCruz and another Venezuelan from Parika to a hotel in Meten-Meer-Zorg. Pramdeo allegedly accepted payment in cash, believed to be the proceeds of raw gold worth over $600,000, and later drove Bettancourt and Poedemo to meet LaCruz. Rodriguez is accused of assisting in coordinating the group’s movements and communications before the attack.