IMPACT ON TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Some 50 heavily armed police officers yesterday swooped down on the Masjid Al Tawbah mosque in Tobago.

They were in search of arms, ammunition and other illegal items.

During the 90-minute search of the mosque's hall and compound at Hampden, Lowlands, police seized two masks, duct tape, a dozen tights, number plates and maps in the roof of the hall which also houses the mosque's learning centre and pre-school.

Police officers from the Tobago Task Force, CID and Forensic Unit headed by ASP Maurice Dillon and Insp Garfield Moore arrived at the mosque compound shortly before 3 p.m. in a bus and several cars.

Some of them took up positions along the quiet Old Milford Road, the nearby bushes opposite and on the roof of the mosque, while others accompanied the senior officers in their search. Kameal Ali, a director of the mosque board who was present on the compound at the time, was presented with the search warrant and accompanied the officers in their search.

The police party stayed clear of entering the mosque where two hours before, prayers were said by the faithful.

The Masjid Al Tawbah is a stone's throw away from the Official Residence of THA Chief Secretary Orville London.

The police said they were acting on a tip-off from Crime Stoppers earlier in the morning.

Imam Mohammed Sharif who had said prayers earlier was not present during the search.

Ali recalled that on Monday night electricians were working in the roof of the hall when one of them discovered the "strange" items and alerted him.

He said the police informed them that they were acting on a tip-off from Crime Stoppers they had received earlier.

He said he was not surprised by their visit and wanted to have the matter cleared up as soon as possible.

Ali said the hall and mosque were open to everyone and could not say who might have hidden the items in the roof.

He said that about a month ago louvres to the hall were tampered with and he suspected that someone might have been able to enter the hall and hide the items there.

The Masjid Al Tawbah has been in existence for the past 25 years, serving more than 150 resident Muslims in the island.

He said he was alarmed at the situation and cooperated fully with the police who advised him to report any suspicious things occurring on the compound.

Ali said Muslims in Tobago were law abiding citizens and did not want to give Tobago a bad name.

"We don't want the public out there to have any misconception of us and if anyone in our community was found in illegal activity he would be dealt with under the law," he said.

The Board of the mosque was due to meet last night at the mosque to discuss the situation and to plan strategies to ensure there was no reoccurrence of the incident which he described as embarrassing to the Muslim community on the island.

(Trinidad Express)