AKASH SAMA­ROO

While de­scrib­ing the na­tion­wide bomb threats as an "abom­inable act", Na­tion­al Se­cu­ri­ty Min­is­ter Fitzger­ald Hinds said there is not enough ev­i­dence as yet to de­scribe it as an act of ter­ror.

Speak­ing in Par­lia­ment a short while ago, the Min­is­ter was asked by the Oropouche East MP, Dr Roodal Mooni­lal, if in­ter­na­tion­al help will be sought "giv­en the act of ter­ror against chil­dren".

Hinds took is­sue with the word "ter­ror".

"I am in no po­si­tion to say that. The mat­ter is un­der in­ves­ti­ga­tion, and I await the out­come of the po­lice in­ves­ti­ga­tions to de­ter­mine what it was.  It may have just been an or­di­nary mis­cre­ant," the Min­is­ter re­spond­ed.

Min­is­ter Hinds said the Prime Min­is­ter—as head of the Na­tion­al Se­cu­ri­ty Coun­cil—con­tact­ed him ear­ly this morn­ing as the news broke.

The Min­is­ter sought to as­sure the coun­try that T&T has re­cent­ly bol­stered its cadre of bomb spe­cial­ists.

"Thank­ful­ly the Cab­i­net ap­proved, and we have im­proved the num­ber of of­fi­cers in the po­lice spe­cial branch who are skilled in bomb dis­pos­al.  We have in­creased the num­ber by six with some for­eign train­ing in re­cent times," he re­port­ed.

Min­is­ter Hinds said the unit went to work at the var­i­ous schools this morn­ing, en­sur­ing there was no ac­tu­al dan­ger.

He said the Cy­ber Crime Unit is fo­cused on find­ing the source of the threats.

"Be­cause that kind of in­for­ma­tion, dis­rup­tive as it is, might con­sti­tute oth­er crim­i­nal of­fences," he point­ed out.

Min­is­ter Hinds said the Fire Ser­vice was on high alert.

“Thank­ful­ly, all has gone well so far," he told the Par­lia­ment.