Rowley claims security report shows PM acted "hysterically" in announcing security plot

Keith Rowley told reporters on Friday he has a report that proves that the Prime Minister acted "hysterically" and misled the nation about a plot to assassinate her and three members of her cabinet.

And the Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley called for the release of the 16 persons held under detention orders.

He said he obtained a copy of an evaluation of the plot dated November 23, which was prepared by the national security agencies based on "chatter'' of misconduct by certain persons.

He said the report did not provide evidence to support allegations made by a confidential informant who claimed there was an assassination plot.

He stated that the report "seems to be an amalgamation of several pieces of information using historic information on individuals of known ill repute to validate the claim of a future act and embellished by the author's liberal use of opinions rather than fact."

He added that there are inconsistencies in the the chronological sequence of events of the plot. And he quoted the document to make his point.

"There is no information identifying the leaders of the two groups...or whether the persons involved are known to each other, attempts to identify a common link prove to be futile," Rowley said.

He said the Prime Minister had the report on November 23, yet she threw the country into panic the next day a threat to her live and the lives of others.

He said the Prime Minister "knew that there was no confirmed plot and that it was speculation on the part of a source that had been discredited by the country's security services and therefore this whole question of a plot against the life of the Prime Minister and her Cabinet as of the 24th of November had not been established and the way it was sold to us, I can now confirm that the Prime Minister's attempt to sell it to us was in the context of justifying the State of Emergency," said Rowley.

"I can tell the country this evening that the Opposition is now totally satisfied that the Prime Minister acted hysterically on matters of national security which should have gone through the proper channels to allow it to be treated in a serious and effective way, got diverted into political diatribe that seriously damaged this country's image internationally," he added.

Rowley stated that the Prime Minister was guilty of misconduct and he also called for National Security Minister Brigadier John Sandy to resign.

"I'm calling on the Minister of National Security before he writes his resignation to challenge anything that I've said here this evening," said Rowley.

"And to the extent that any of our citizens—doesn't matter who they are, man, woman, child, long, short, tall of any race, colour creed or class—to the extent that any citizen has been the subject of detention under this development purely to satisfy what we now know is a political need, I'm calling on the State to release them immediately because this is political madness that has no place in Trinidad and Tobago."

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan told the Express newspaper the report that Rowley cited was never provided to the National Security Council and suggested that it is either fictitious or bogus since Rowley never named the author.

He called Rowley's allegations "outrageous, scandalous and mischievous."

Ramlogan said: "His baseless utterances are consistent with the recent trend of faux paus starting with my alleged trip to the US mission, the supposed conspiracy with the Judiciary with the Ish and Steve case and the request for personal banking information of citizens from the FIU," said Ramlogan.

He also noted that the Prime Minister had asked the police to meet with Rowley and share the relevant intelligence with him and "his lack of reciprocity speaks volumes about his intention and as politics trumps the national security and public interest".