4 Venezuelans, 3 Guyanese remanded for terrorism – INews Guyana

Four Venezuelans and three Guyanese were this morning remanded to prison on terrorism-related charges.

The Guyanese are 44-year-old Wayne Corriea, 51-year-old Ramesh Pramdeo and 33-year-old Krystal LaCruz. Among the Venezuelans is the prime suspect, 33-year-old Daniel Alexander Ramirez Peodomo, who had admitted to committing the crime. The others are 33-year-old Jennifer Rodriguez, 27-year-old Johnny Boodram and 44-year-old Alexander Bettancourt.

Peodomo appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court where he was slapped with the charge of committing a terrorist act with intent to strike terror in the people of Guyana.

LaCruz, Boodram, and Bettancourt also appeared before Magistrate McGusty where they were charged jointly for aiding Peodomo in his crimes.

However, Boodram’s lawyer told the court that his client, a taxi driver, knew none of the other accused and that LaCruz, the prime suspect’s girlfriend, was just a customer he transported on the day in question.

Nevertheless, they were remanded to prison until November 12.

Meanwhile, Corriea, Pramdeo, and Rodriguez were charged separately before Magistrate Alisha George and were remanded until November 24.

The seven are accused of being involved in the planning and execution of a terror attack at a Mobil Gas Station in Georgetown on October 26, which resulted in the death of six-year-old Soraya Bourne, injuries to others, and significant damage to properties.

Following the arrest of the prime suspect, law enforcement officials during a press conference had said they will be pursuing charges such as terrorism, murder, attempted murder, arson, and malicious damage to property against the suspects. Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond had also noted that authorities will be making a case for the death penalty to be applied.

To date, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has not released any information on the possible motive behind the attack.

Reports are that Peodomo told investigators that he illegally arrived in Guyana via boat several hours before the attack. He admitted that he smuggled the remote-controlled bomb into the country from Venezuela.

Peodomo was the one who planted the bomb at the gas station, just before 19:30hrs on October 26. Investigations revealed that before the bomb was planted, Peodomo’s accomplices had surveyed the area.

Investigations also revealed that the main suspect is linked to one of Venezuela’s most notorious criminal networks – the R Organization.

 

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