Mobil Service Station bombing: High Court extends detention of 8 terror attack suspects

– All 9 remain in custody
– pump attendant IDs prime suspect as man who attempted to place bomb in bin

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has secured an extension to further detain eight of the nine suspects who were taken into custody for the deadly terror attack in Georgetown on Sunday evening.

This was confirmed by Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, who also stated that all nine of the suspects remain in custody pending investigations and charges.
“Today, detectives made an application to the High Court to extend the period of detention for eight of the nine individuals currently in custody… the application was granted by Chief Justice Navindra Singh,” the Deputy Commissioner of Police told the Guyana Times.
He further added that an application was not made for the ninth suspect since his detention period had not expired. By law, persons are legally held for 72 hours, after which they are either released or the police can request additional detention, which must be granted by a judge.
The Crime Chief added that investigations are working on several other leads but could not divulge any further information.
However, in other sections of the media, it was reported that the fuel attendant who refused to allow the Spanish-speaking male to dispose of a black garbage bag has positively identified Daniel Alexander Ramirez Peodomo as that man.
He was reportedly part of an identification parade on Wednesday, during which the pump attendant picked him out.
Just a day ago, it was revealed that the suspect and accomplices scouted the targeted location prior to the attack, which has left a six-year-old dead and several others injured.
It was reported that suspects arrived in a motorcar that was parked in the vicinity of the ACME building. “Whilst there, one man exited the vehicle, walked over to the Mobil Service Station, walked around, then went into a KFC outlet, purchased chicken, and went back to the car,” Blanhum told this publication on Wednesday evening.
He further stated that after some time, the prime suspect exited the motorcar with a black bag and walked toward the service station. “And we all know what happened after that since it was all captured on camera.”
CCTV footage in the area captured the suspect attempting to dispose of two black garbage bags in a bin. Nevertheless, he was prevented from doing so by an attendant; instead, he walked toward the western side of the fuel station, shortly after which a loud explosion was heard coming from the section where bottled cooking gas was stored.
One day after the police issued a wanted bulletin for the suspect, the clothes suspected to have been worn by him were found at a location in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara). The GPF soon after announced a reward of $5 million for any information that may lead to the arrest of the suspect wanted for the crime.
It has further been established that Peodomo and another man, both Venezuelans, arrived in Guyana illegally by boat hours before the terror attack. More worrying is that the explosive was transported from Venezuela by the suspect.
In a confession statement, Peodomo indicated that he had brought the bomb from Venezuela and would have activated it when he exited the vehicle on Sunday evening. It was also confirmed that the prime suspect is affiliated with a criminal gang in his home country, which goes by the name “R”, linked to the Sindicato gang.
With investigations currently underway, the Guyana Police Force will be pursuing the death penalty in accordance with Sections 309A and 309B of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 8:01, which address acts of terrorism and conspiracy to commit terrorism.
This was confirmed by Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond, who emphasised that a young, innocent child was murdered, and had the suspect been successful in placing the bag in the bin, it could have been more detrimental.
She is confident that President Dr Irfaan Ali will sign off on a death penalty for those found culpable of the terror attack.
The blast on Sunday evening left six-year-old Soraya Bourne dead and four others hospitalised, including two minors and two adults. The two children were admitted to the paediatric ward suffering from significant injuries, while the two adult females are being treated for soft tissue injuries to the face, head, neck, and thigh, with one suffering a fracture to the leg.
An update late Thursday afternoon indicated that they are on the road to recovery and are still being closely monitored.