Stabroek explosion…

Top law enforcement officials last night confirmed that a fragmentation grenade exploded in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market yesterday, blowing to bits the individual in whose possession it was and causing numerous persons to be injured.
They also confirmed that the device was not lobbed into the crowd, even though the possibility that the deceased man was not working alone was not ruled out.
Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Home Affairs last night, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee and Commissioner of Police Henry Greene updated the media on the stage at which the investigations were, saying that the man in whose shop the deceased man was located, was questioned.
Rohee said that from the reports received thus far, “we know that the explosive device was what is termed a fragmentation grenade.”
He said, “We also understand that the fragmentation grenade was not thrown or lobbed into the crowd. Rather it was in the hands of the deceased at the time of its explosion. Whether he was given the device or found it is a matter for speculation at this time. It is anticipated that these speculations will be clarified during the course of the investigation.”
He said it is to be recalled that for some time now “I have been speaking about numerous illegal activities taking place in and around Stabroek Market. In this regard there have been several reports of glaring daylight and night-time robberies. We understand from fairly reliable sources that at least 15 robberies take place there on a daily basis.”
According to the Minister, the lawless activities include the establishment of a number of illegal rum shops, harbouring of persons of unsavoury character, playing of loud music, trafficking of narcotics, vending of stolen articles, the establishment of unauthorised cook shops, barber shops, and hair-dressing salons, most of which have illegal connections from the Guyana Power and Light.
“We have also received reports about the selling of raw gold openly, which is an illegal activity, renting of illegal firearms, the sale of small amounts of ammunition around the area, the snatching of cell phones, just to mention a few. The Ministry of Home Affairs is of the view that decisive action must be taken to remove this dangerous situation from the midst of the public,” he said.
The Minister said that yesterday’s explosion has demonstrated that this situation poses a danger to the public as well as to those who vend in the area.
“It is in the interest of public spirited citizens who frequent that area as well as those who vend their goods legally in that area to support whatever action is taken by the competent authorities to ensure that the area is safe and secure for the public at large,” said the Minister.
“Now that this has happened, we recognise that people who move around that area, whether going [to or from] work, catching a minibus, school children and so forth, that this could put their lives in danger. And any situation which emerges in the general public that puts at risk people’s lives, we obviously have to address it,” Rohee said. “There were actions taken in the past; and due to the gravity of this incident, I think people would expect [to know] what Government, what law enforcement is doing to address this,” he said.
“Government wishes to convey its sympathies with the persons who were injured in the event that took place today at the Stabroek Market area. It is our understanding that of the 17 persons who suffered injuries, three have been admitted for further medical attention while the others were treated and sent away,” he said.
Commissioner of Police Greene said upon the examination of the crime scene yesterday, it was noticed that the person called ‘American’ had an injury to his left hand. “[His arm] from his elbow down had been amputated, parts of which could not be found. His entire face was damaged. There were no eyes…his eyes were blown out completely. We found finger and finger nails in the roof of the area where he was at the time. The left side abdomen had marks which suggested that everything happened in that vicinity,” he said.
“We found 50 pieces of fragments in the ceiling, about eight of which had green paint, suggesting to us that it was a grenade [which exploded],” the Commissioner said, adding that the pin for the device was not found.
The Commissioner referred to the situation as a most unfortunate one, which could have caused much more damage. He said that the man called ‘American’ was a drug addict who did odd jobs around the area to support his habit. “It appeared as though he might have had this thing in his hand, either waiting to sell or whatever he might have been doing with it, we are not sure. But he [would have had] to play with it for it to explode,” he said.
“I agree with Minister that we need to look carefully at Stabroek Market. We have been doing some work there for the last two months. I did indicate in October that we were going to intensify our work at Stabroek and we have done so. We have had people in uniform and in plain clothes positioned at Stabroek Market. Lots of illegal activities happen under the clock. We have been able to stymie some of that activity but not all of it,” he said.
He added that he was sure more decisive action would be taken to clean-up Stabroek and bring it into a place where people can come to catch transportation in a safe and reliable atmosphere,” said the Commissioner.
Greene said that it is also possible that the man might have been sent by someone else and was waiting there. “If you look at that place you will see if you have minibuses there you cannot see anything in that place. Once a minibus or a car drives up, that area is sealed off. Therefore it is ideal for the sale of ammunition, sale of grenades, and sale of firearms. We suspect that this man is one of the men being used when they transfer arms or transfer some illegal substance, and not realising the danger to himself, [the result was his meeting his demise],” he said.
According to Greene, the owner of the structure under which the explosion occurred told Police investigators that he was standing some distance away from the man who was at the time cleaning-up when he heard the explosion.
“But he was not injured…he was a little bit away. We searched his home, we searched his possessions but we have not found anything illegal so far,” the Commissioner said. He said also that there was no information suggesting that the owner of the structure is known to the Police.