Chicokid
September 14, 2005, 09:29 AM
Bomb threat suspect remains behind bars
PHILIPSBURG--Popular Antigua cricket personality L.C.R. (44) was still behind bars at the Philipsburg police station up to last night and indications are that he might have to remain there until Thursday or Friday.
His fate is still to be determined by the justice authorities in the wake of Sunday night’s bomb scare on an Antigua-bound LIAT flight.
“Maybe 20 years ago you could have taken a threat like this for a joke. Maybe! But we are not going to tolerate bomb threats in these times,” Prosecutor Johan de Vrieze said Monday.
He was reacting to questions regarding the arrest of L.C.R., who allegedly caused a LIAT aircraft to return to St. Maarten shortly after 8:00pm Sunday. He reportedly told an air hostess that he had a bomb in his carry-on bag.
De Vrieze said that today, when the world is on alert for terrorist activities, anyone could be a terrorist. “It doesn’t matter where you are from or what skin colour you have. We will take these matters seriously.”
Asked by The Daily Herald whether the suspect would be released and allowed to return to Antigua, De Vrieze said the incident was still being investigated.
“We don’t have all the files as yet and once we get them we have to see what will happen in this case,” he explained, adding that there seemed to be two possibilities: either imposing a conditional fine on the accused or taking the matter to court.
He said the exact manner in which the incident occurred and other details still had to be determined, and that would likely be done by Thursday or Friday.
According to reports, L.C.R., who is the Vice Captain of the Antigua cricket team that played two matches here over the weekend, was returning to Antigua on the LIAT flight Sunday night when he was asked to store the carry-on bag he had on his lap, but he refused and told the flight attendant there was a bomb in the bag, so she should be careful.
Later the flight attendant returned and asked for the bag and he told her, “Anyway, be careful, there is a bomb in it.”
She stopped and asked him to repeat himself and he allegedly said, “I said there is a bomb in the bag, so be careful.” After hearing that, the flight attendant reportedly informed the captain of the passenger’s statement and the captain took the decision to return to Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten, where L.C.R. was detained and escorted to the Philipsburg police cells.
Meanwhile, reports on Monday from Antigua, where L.C.R. is said to be well known, said the story had been receiving major media attention there.
Story taken from HERE (http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/i102/bomb102.html)
PHILIPSBURG--Popular Antigua cricket personality L.C.R. (44) was still behind bars at the Philipsburg police station up to last night and indications are that he might have to remain there until Thursday or Friday.
His fate is still to be determined by the justice authorities in the wake of Sunday night’s bomb scare on an Antigua-bound LIAT flight.
“Maybe 20 years ago you could have taken a threat like this for a joke. Maybe! But we are not going to tolerate bomb threats in these times,” Prosecutor Johan de Vrieze said Monday.
He was reacting to questions regarding the arrest of L.C.R., who allegedly caused a LIAT aircraft to return to St. Maarten shortly after 8:00pm Sunday. He reportedly told an air hostess that he had a bomb in his carry-on bag.
De Vrieze said that today, when the world is on alert for terrorist activities, anyone could be a terrorist. “It doesn’t matter where you are from or what skin colour you have. We will take these matters seriously.”
Asked by The Daily Herald whether the suspect would be released and allowed to return to Antigua, De Vrieze said the incident was still being investigated.
“We don’t have all the files as yet and once we get them we have to see what will happen in this case,” he explained, adding that there seemed to be two possibilities: either imposing a conditional fine on the accused or taking the matter to court.
He said the exact manner in which the incident occurred and other details still had to be determined, and that would likely be done by Thursday or Friday.
According to reports, L.C.R., who is the Vice Captain of the Antigua cricket team that played two matches here over the weekend, was returning to Antigua on the LIAT flight Sunday night when he was asked to store the carry-on bag he had on his lap, but he refused and told the flight attendant there was a bomb in the bag, so she should be careful.
Later the flight attendant returned and asked for the bag and he told her, “Anyway, be careful, there is a bomb in it.”
She stopped and asked him to repeat himself and he allegedly said, “I said there is a bomb in the bag, so be careful.” After hearing that, the flight attendant reportedly informed the captain of the passenger’s statement and the captain took the decision to return to Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten, where L.C.R. was detained and escorted to the Philipsburg police cells.
Meanwhile, reports on Monday from Antigua, where L.C.R. is said to be well known, said the story had been receiving major media attention there.
Story taken from HERE (http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/i102/bomb102.html)