State of Emergency: Minister Roger Alexander signs detention order for high-profile gang leader Rajaee Ali

Trinidad and Tobago: Minister of Homeland Security of Trinidad and Tobago, Roger Alexander, earlier this week, has signed an order to detain the high-profile criminal Rajaee Ali who has been under guard at the military Teteron Barracks from the start of the State of Emergency. 

According to the reports, the detention order indicates that Rajaee Ali has been communicating and engaging in gang activities even when he was incarcerated in the Maximum-Security Prison and at Teteron, Staubles Bay. Further reports claim that the detainee poses an immediate threat to the public, according to the order. 

Minister Alexander confirmed that the order for his detention was issued on August 18 and published today. He explained that Ali’s continued detention was necessary because “he is able to communicate and participate in gang activities while being in prison” and warned that “there is a real and clear danger to members of the public, including public officials and members of the protective services, which could become real if he is not held under preventive detention.” 

Reportedly, Ali has been also identified as the leader of the Radical Criminal Gang. He along with another gang named GR8 conspired the target killings against the law officers and public officials in public places by the high-powered rifles.  

According to the reports, the authorities stated that the detention order was also issued for two more men named Hamid Ashrap Ali, the brother of the detainee Ali and Earl Richards. The reports also claimed that they are identified as members of the same gang as Rajaee Ali. 

In addition to this, a detention order has also been issued for a senior prison official who is accused of assisting high-profile prisoners to continue their crimes from inside the prison premises and attempting to do the same from the military’s Teteron Barracks. The accused has been identified as Prison Supervisor Garth Guada in the detention order. 

According to the order, the senior prison official has been credibly identified as an associate of the Radical Islamic Criminal Gang, linked to murder accused Rajaee Ali, as well as other gangs, with the intention of facilitating gang-related activities. 

Minister Roger Alexander claimed that during the time of state emergency in a country like Trinidad and Tobago the person can be arrested without the immediate charge and also can be kept as longer than the described period by the law to protect the public.