Luncheon
GOVERNMENT is following-up, with its United States (U.S.) counterparts, on information needed to conclude the processing of Guyana’s request for assistance regarding the alleged external mastermind of the recent vicious terrorist attacks in the capital city.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, confirmed this at his weekly post-Cabinet media briefing Thursday, in Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown.

A heavily armed gang unleashed the terror two Wednesdays ago when the HPS said the latest such plots and acts were unveiled.

Luncheon said: “The country was, again, traumatised by those in our midst known actors in the creation of terror.

“The brazenness of their operations, obviously, reflects a mindset of calculated brinkmanship exploiting the contemporary situation involving the Joint Services.”

He observed that there are “those in our midst who feel that such terrorist acts are payback (and) restitution addressing the Guyana Police Force and its officers and ranks.”

Luncheon also noted that there are those who promote, in those acts, the notion of them being “appropriate and fitted” as it reflects “blows to the Government.”

“There are those who inveigle against the Government, belittle worthy patriotic initiatives that are of national interest as they consort with skeptics and criminally minded people,” he declared.

“These actors are known. It is only a question of time before their practice of terror is ended. Focused intelligent work will uncover the terrorist mastermind, the intellectual authors of this monstrous insult to the Government and the people of Guyana,” the HPS assured.

Answering questions about the investigation, particularly as it pertains to U.S. assistance, he replied: “The focused investigations, to which I referred, are ongoing and with specific reference to the external influence…Guyana is not unusual in this regard.”

Luncheon said many, from “so called safe positions”, direct activities against governments.

“And we are absolutely certain, for reasons I could not disclose, but we are absolutely certain that the nexus has been created between the external and the timing of specific terrorist activities,” he added.

Luncheon said that, in criminal matters, under an OAS (Organisation of American States) Convention, Guyana has, indeed, approached and been provided with responses from the U.S., the country where the external influence is located.

“We are following up with our U.S. counterparts on the information that they need to conclude processing of our request for assistance,” he offered.

Asked if the Government is aware of the identity of the external connection behind the attacks, he said: “There are, because of the historical aspects of this matter, ideas of the identity of the person but its confirmation, because whilst one may think that the name or the user is important, our interest goes much beyond that.”

“We have suspicions and what would connect our suspicions with the individual is the number, the subscriber and two, the information is not only to know who the person is but in the context of the rigid assistance in criminal matters to also allow for subsequent steps,” Luncheon explained.