Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed arrested near police officer's Georgetown home
Guyana's opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed and two associates were arrested after a shooting near a senior officer's home. Mohamed denies the charges and claims the firearm was planted.
Shooting near Special Branch chief's home leads to three arrests in Georgetown
Guyana's opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed, along with associates Mario Mohamed and Eugene Thorne, was arrested on Tuesday, October 13, following a shooting incident outside the Barr Street residence of Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, head of the Guyana Police Force's Special Branch Unit, nycaribnews.com reports.
Narine told investigators he observed a black Toyota Allion moving slowly past his home. When the vehicle circled back a second time, he said he heard what sounded like a gunshot, took cover, and discharged several rounds from his service weapon toward the car before it fled. Officers subsequently intercepted the vehicle and detained its three occupants.
A search of the car uncovered a .32 Taurus pistol — bearing no serial number — along with three rounds of live ammunition. Investigators additionally recovered a spent .32 shell near Narine's residence and four spent 9mm casings. The firearm, ammunition, and all recovered shells were submitted for ballistic testing. Authorities also indicated they plan to review CCTV footage captured in the surrounding area.
The Guyana Police Force is investigating alleged discharge of a loaded firearm with intent, as well as unlicensed possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Mohamed has directly contested the police version of events. In a live social media broadcast following the arrests, he alleged that Narine had attempted to kill him and that the firearm recovered from the vehicle had been planted there. His lawyer, Siand Dhurjon, echoed that position, maintaining the weapon did not belong to any of the three men.
The opposition leader stated that he and his associates had travelled to the area to document what they described as an excessive police presence outside Narine's home and what they characterised as the misuse of state resources.
The incident carries additional weight because Narine serves as a witness in active extradition proceedings involving Mohamed and his father, Nazar "Shell" Mohamed. Those proceedings stem from a United States extradition request that the father and son have been contesting through the Guyanese courts.
The timing of the arrest drew further attention: it occurred just hours before Mohamed was scheduled to appear before Guyana's Court of Appeal in a separate civil matter challenging provisions of the Fugitive Offenders Act.
All three men remained in police custody as investigations continued. The allegations against them have not been established before a court, and the competing accounts of the shooting remain under active investigation.
Source: Google News GY — Crime