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00:02Thanks for staying with us. A police investigation was launched after the vehicle of CCN TV6
00:09Tobago correspondent Elizabeth Williams was set on fire outside her home last week.
00:16Police are investigating the apparent firebombing of a vehicle belonging to CCN TV6 Tobago
00:22correspondent Elizabeth Williams. The incident occurred shortly after two o'clock on Friday
00:28morning outside her Tobago home. Williams says she and her daughter were awakened by a commotion
00:35and discovered her vehicle engulfed in flames. The firebombing of my vehicle occurred shortly
00:41after 2 a.m. on Friday. My daughter and I were at home when we heard a commotion outside. We
00:50investigated and observed that my vehicle was on fire. We formed a bucket brigade and
00:58extinguished the flames. Williams says police responded quickly after being contacted.
01:04We also contacted police officers who were prompt on the scene. They also told us they observed
01:10someone fleeing the scene and in addition a getaway vehicle was observed on the other street.
01:18She revealed this is not the first time one of her vehicles has been targeted. Williams says another
01:24other of her vehicles had previously been tampered with and that matter also remains under police
01:30investigation. I wish to thank members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service for their prompt
01:37response. A number of police officers responded to the scene and the investigations are continuing but
01:43I just wish to thank members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service for their swift action
01:50and investigations are continuing into this incident. The media association of Trinidad
01:56and Tobago has strongly condemned the attack expressing relief that Williams and her daughter
02:01escaped without injury. In a statement Matt called on the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to conduct
02:07a swift thorough and transparent investigation to determine both those responsible and the motive behind
02:15the attack. The association says there is currently no evidence linking the incident to Williams' work
02:20as a journalist. However, it stressed that neither can that possibility be ruled out and warned that any
02:27attack connected to a journalist's work would have serious implications for press freedom. Matt says the
02:33incident comes at a time when concerns are growing over the environment in which journalists operate.
02:39It noted that Trinidad and Tobago fell 13 places in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index compiled by
02:47reporters without borders with the report citing high levels of crime and the targeted harassment of
02:54female journalists online among the factors contributing to the decline. The association says regardless of
03:00the motive, any act of violence or intimidation involving a journalist should be treated with the utmost
03:07seriousness, adding that journalists must be able to carry out their work without fear. Police
03:13investigations into the incident are continuing.
03:16Urvishitamwari Ruknarain, TV6 News.
03:19Switching gears, Chairman of the People's National Movement Marvin Gonzalez burned what he said was a court
03:25order regarding the PNM's financing of the new Balisei House. Here's more from the PNM's public meeting last week.
03:32This order that was served on the People's National Movement to ask what we are doing and how we came
03:43about with funds to construct our Balisei House. We will not be afraid of this order.
03:52A defiant-sounding PNM Chairman Marvin Gonzalez speaking during a PNM meeting at the party's headquarters at Balisei House in
04:00Port of Spain as he held up the court order.
04:03It was born in sin and it was shaped in political iniquity and therefore tonight we will burn this court
04:15order. We will burn this court order because it will not desecrate the grounds upon the people's national movement was
04:26built upon.
04:27And we will send them to the political ashes in the political cemetery of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
04:37Opposition leader Penelope Becker-Runza spoke later on in the PNM's meeting on Thursday night.
04:42Okay, so let me acknowledge the chairman of the People's National Movement, the Honorable Marvin Gonzalez, who just light up
04:55the place.
04:58The PNM's leader referred to statements once made about Balisei House by the party's founding father, Dr. Eric Williams.
05:05He talked about, we need a three-story building, at least with a restaurant, offices and an auditorium to seat
05:14at least 600 people.
05:17And I'm telling you, that was since in 1958.
05:23So when, in 2018, Dr. Rowley and Frankie Kahn came and turned the sod to start the construction of what
05:36you see today, it was the finalization of a dream that started many, many years ago.
05:44The opposition leader made reference to her party's political opponents.
05:47You see, this thing called jealousy, because they don't have what we have, and it is because they're operating out
05:54of spite, vindictiveness and wickedness.
05:59The police service has confirmed that the High Court granted a preliminary unexplained wealth order under the Civil Asset Recovery
06:06and Management and Unexplained Wealth Act against the PNM and its trustees.
06:11I was served with this document, right?
06:17And this is court proceedings relating to Balisei House.
06:23The Express Newspapers quoted Prime Minister Kamala Passat-Bessess as having said the police service and the judiciary are independent
06:30organizations.
06:30But at least they called Foster and arrangements was made for Foster to collect the documents.
06:45But in true UNC style, as he come off the airport, they was waiting for him.
06:53But they had him call me.
06:55They just show up in the office.
06:57But it matters not.
06:59The PNM ain't afraid nobody.
07:04The PNM's General Secretary, Foster Cummings, was served with a court document regarding Balisei House after he returned from a
07:12foreign trip last week.
07:14Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
07:17This is The Past, seven days on six.
07:27Welcome back.
07:28After being missing at sea for eight days, six crewmates of the St. Vincent 7 were located alive.
07:36I tell you, don't give up hope on the man.
07:38I tell you that.
07:39I tell you, go in your corner and pray.
07:40I'm on voice.
07:41No soul of that.
07:42I'm glad that the man reached back.
07:44But here is your mate.
07:45I'm glad to find them and find everybody.
07:47A brief phone video of the St. Vincent 7 on fire sent Monday, July 13th near the maritime border of
07:56Suriname and French Guiana
07:58is the last communication families have had since a crew of six fishermen left Shagaramas on July 6th, that is
08:07until around 9 p.m. Tuesday, eight days later.
08:11The crew of four Trinidadians, one Vincentian and one Guyanese, the boat captain, were believed to be alive and adrift
08:20at sea following the vessel fire,
08:22and desperate public appeals have been made by their families for regional bodies to launch search-and-rescue efforts since.
08:30It was the MV Marvel Kite, 349 nautical miles east of Galeota, that observed the fishing vessel in distress last
08:40night.
08:41Six people on board, who appeared in reasonably good health, were rescued, according to the defense minister,
08:48who noted the men would be handed over to a TNT Coast Guard vessel and brought to shore within a
08:55few hours' time.
08:56Although I have not yet had the opportunity to speak with my husband or hear his voice,
09:02I have seen a photograph of him and it is clear that he has endured a terrible ordeal.
09:09Amanda Suraj, wife of fisherman Shannon Joey Mohamed, expressed thanks to all those who assisted and supported her family this
09:18past week,
09:19but said she felt disrespected that more than 12 hours since they were located,
09:25she had not received an official call with any information or update.
09:30Anxiously awaiting word on when Mohamed would finally return home,
09:34she and her sister called on the authorities to do more to protect legitimate fishermen.
09:40It is my sincere hope that this incident serves as a wake-up call and that the relevant authorities could
09:50conduct comprehensive audits of vessels
09:53to ensure that they are properly equipped with the necessary life-saving equipment
09:58and that all safety regulations are being followed.
10:03The Coast Guard need to help the fishermen, they might see in Trinidad and Tobago more.
10:08They need to be outside there more helping these people than them
10:11because there are a lot of things that has happened to fishermen and we do not get justice for them.
10:16The wife says it's not the first time Mohamed had a near-death experience at sea,
10:22but she hopes it will be the last one.
10:25On August the 13th, 2010, pirates attacked him and he'd jump out in the ocean
10:32and he would have swam with someone on his back to save their lives as well.
10:40So, definitely, we hope that he will, as much as he loved the sea,
10:45he will never return to the sea at this point in time.
10:48Cindy Raguba, Tika Singh, TV6 News.
10:52And the bodies of a five-year-old girl and an adult male, both Venezuelans,
10:58washed ashore at Los Eros last week after a pirogue capsized at sea around midday on Wednesday.
11:05The body of a five-year-old Venezuelan girl, identified as Brittany Palacios,
11:11was found at Los Eros Beach around 7.20 a.m. on Thursday,
11:16more than 17 hours after the boat she was travelling in with her mother and grandmother.
11:23She is the second death of a boating tragedy which occurred around midday on Wednesday
11:28when a pirogue illegally attempted to leave Los Eros bound for Venezuela,
11:34according to leader of the hunter's search and rescue team, Valence Rambraat,
11:38who says he has been in contact with survivors of the incident.
11:42What we were told was that 29 persons were seeking to leave Trinidad to head to Venezuela
11:50and amongst the 29 persons were six children.
11:55They also indicated to us that four persons were unaccounted for.
12:01That is two adult males, one adult female and one a six-year-old girl.
12:08Of the four missing passengers, the body of an adult male was found floating near to shore
12:14and brought in by the TNT Coast Guard around 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
12:18The child was later found when the hunter's team began searching on Thursday morning.
12:23Rambraat says survivors recalled agitated sea conditions during the journey.
12:29We were told that it was engine failure that caused the boat not to progress from near the shoreline
12:37into the deeper sea area and that that failure to start the engine caused the boat to capsize.
12:44The fact that a lot of them made it to the shore means that the boat would have capsized very
12:51near to the shore
12:52and that five children were able to meet it ashore.
12:55Clothes, toys and colouring books found scattered along the Losirou shoreline
13:01are just some of the washed-up belongings of the capsized migrant boat
13:05which is carrying 23 adults and six children on Wednesday.
13:10An adult male and female were said to be still unaccounted for,
13:16leading the siege team to conduct a walk from Losirou to Irene
13:19with officers of the TTPS's coastal unit.
13:23But no sightings were made up to news time.
13:26The ordinary fish and pierog ought not to be used to transport 29 persons.
13:33The weight alone of 29 persons plus their luggage does overload
13:39and difficulties would arise.
13:43He says this incident is not a first for migrants attempting an illegal entry or exit to Trinidad
13:50and if anything, shows the need for greater law enforcement.
13:55Meanwhile, only days ago, a ferry in Guyana capsized off the Essequibo coast
14:00while transporting over 100 people.
14:03Recovery efforts continue there with 65 bodies retrieved so far.
14:08The Guyanese incident and the incident with the St. Vincent's seventh vessel recently
14:15means that we have to step up in terms of our maritime policy and maritime laws
14:22to ensure that there's compliance for all marine vessels operating within our waters.
14:29Sindhi Raghava, Tika Singh, TV6 News.
14:34The surge was called off after the two missing adults were safely located and accounted for,
14:41leaving the death toll of that incident involving 29 people at two.
14:47Sport is up next. Keep it here.
14:55In sport, the Commonwealth Games were officially opened last week in Glasgow, Scotland.
15:01Team TNT crossed the stage in the opening ceremony, which featured over 74 teams.
15:08The national team will be eyeing medals in events ranging from track and field to cycling.
15:14The 2026 Commonwealth Games will run from July 23rd to August 2nd in Glasgow, Scotland.
15:20This time, Trinidad and Tobago is represented by a 36-athlete delegation on the big stage.
15:26The likes of Jareem Richards, Kishon Walcott and Leah Bertrand will take the front line.
15:31The opening ceremony was witnessed by the dignitaries of the Commonwealth region.
15:56Here's the magical moment.
15:58TNT crossed the stage.
16:00Trinidad and Tobago.
16:05The 20th time at the Commonwealth Games, the batter-bearer is netball player Julissa Cooper.
16:11She's part of a 35-strong team in six sports, including Nicholas Paul Gold in the sprint cycling four years
16:19ago.
16:20One in Glasgow to watch is judo Gabriella Wood, who's a student at the University of Stirling.
16:26And carrying the flag is boxer Nigel Paul.
16:44The Games was then declared open by King Charles III.
16:47Let us build a harmonious and durable future for our families and each other.
16:56It is now my great pleasure to declare the 23rd Commonwealth Games open.
17:11And so it begins.
17:14A week and a half of competition covering over 200 events in 10 sports and the athletes are waiting to
17:20get started.
17:21Glasgow 2026.
17:27And as emancipation draws near, the Port of Spain mayor said, it is vital that we remove colonial narratives of
17:35the past.
17:36His remarks came at the opening of the Emancipation Village at the Queen's Park Savannah.
17:42May the ashe of this land take root for this Emancipation Pan-African Festival.
17:51This year, the opening of the Lijiasu-Omowale Emancipation Village was done in front of the village before those present
17:58ventured in.
17:59Executive Chair of the Emancipation Support Committee, Zakia Wadada, in thanking all stakeholders who commit to making the village a
18:07success, signals the importance of support.
18:10But she is taking the moment to push resilience.
18:14Because the journey is such a challenging one.
18:18But my new mantra for this season is that pressure builds diamonds.
18:24So every piece of pressure that we feel, I said the diamond is curing.
18:30So we all have to stay strong and stand together and help us create the beautiful diamond of the full
18:37liberation of our people.
18:39Wadada pledges the ESC's support for countries in the region which are facing their own struggles, such as Venezuela and
18:47Cuba.
18:47Port of Spain Mayor Chinua Allen says continuing to dismantle the agenda set by colonials is something that he is
18:55keen on.
18:56From his perspective, it is not in a bid to rewrite history.
19:00I don't view it that way.
19:03I view it as an attempt, in some instances, of removing colonial graffiti that we have all over, not just
19:12the city of Port of Spain, but all over Trinidad and Tobago.
19:15Minister of Culture and Community Development Michel Benjamin states that the ESC, which has been charged with preserving the African
19:23heritage of the country,
19:24creates a space for education, reflection and healing through the village.
19:30We are reminded that emancipation was never simply the breaking of physical chains.
19:36It was the awakening of the human spirit.
19:39It was the affirmation of dignity and the enduring pursuit of justice, equality and opportunity for all.
19:49And as people from across the nation gather there in the coming days, it is hoped that knowledge will be
19:55celebrated, identity will be embraced
19:58and that the young people will find a place where they can ground themselves in their history.
20:04Events to be held over the next full week include Family Days, a Youth Day and the Rhythm and Voices
20:10of Africa.
20:11Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
20:17And that's a wrap on the past seven days on six.
20:21I am Vanessa Cutting.
20:22If you didn't catch this segment in its entirety, you can find it on our website, www.tv6tnt.com.
20:31And you can find all these stories and more on the TV6 mobile app.
20:35Thanks for choosing TV6 and do have a great evening.
21:11Good evening and welcome to the past seven days on six.
21:16I am Vanessa Cutting.
21:17Here's what made the news this past week.
21:20The Hadids were released from detention after almost one month behind bars.
21:26A voice note said to be the cause of the arrests found its way into the public domain.
21:31And police launched an investigation into a firebombing incident targeting a CCN TV6 journalist.
21:39As per usual, if it was happening, it was on six.
21:42Let's get right into it.
21:45Big news last week.
21:47Dominique and Genevieve Hadid regained their freedom after their detention orders were officially revoked.
21:53Their attorney, Senior Counsel Faris al-Rawi, addressed the media.
21:58It is an instrument done by way of the state of emergency regulations,
22:04which says that the minister has made a determination that somebody is a threat to public safety.
22:11So with the revocation of that, it is a complete return to liberty.
22:16There are no conditions attached to that.
22:19This is not home detention.
22:21This is none of those things.
22:22It is a complete revocation and arguably a revocation of the very grounds.
22:29Because you only revoke if the grounds no longer exist.
22:32During his media briefing, Senior Counsel al-Rawi fielded a question
22:37about what may have factored into the Homeland Security Minister's decision to revoke the detention orders.
22:44I couldn't possibly say what was in the mind of the Minister of Homeland Security.
22:49And I'd prefer not to go into Mr. Hadid's medical condition, largely because it's his medical condition.
22:56We put it before the court as we had to because there are certain obligations on the part of the
23:01state to treat with people once they are in custody.
23:04I'd like to stay in that realm for now.
23:07Suffice it to say that the decision of the Rajkumar Justice of Appeal panel wasn't in relation to medical evidence.
23:15It was part of it, but they were dealing with something called the liberty of the subject.
23:22While mere days later, a voice note began circulating in the public domain, raising questions and concerns with respect to
23:31the interception of communications,
23:33the possible alleged leak of highly sensitive information, and other matters relating to intelligence in the country.
23:40The audio recording is being purported to be that of two people detained recently on preventative detention orders under the
23:48present state of emergency.
23:50In the recording, the speakers express anger over visa revocations tied to a so-called 1% list,
23:57alleging political targeting rather than any criminal basis.
24:00Much of the conversation is highly disparaging toward Prime Minister Kamala Poussad-Bissessa,
24:06including remarks that are both racially and sexually charged.
24:10United States President Donald Trump is also criticized in similar harsh terms,
24:15alongside claims about his motives regarding regional and international affairs.
24:20Several local political and legal figures are referenced amid conspiracy-style claims.
24:26But perhaps most concerning is that a recording contains language that could be interpreted as veiled threats of violence toward
24:35political figures,
24:36including a reference to an MP's death.
24:39No reference was made to the Prime Minister in that regard.
24:43Former Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith believes the alleged leak of the audio points to a serious and worrying breach
24:50and brings the very intelligence apparatus in the country into question.
24:55Information obtained through private interception must be secured and disclosed only through local channels.
25:16According to Griffith, it would signal an abuse that could happen to anyone in relation to their calls, messages and
25:24emails.
25:24The former top cop says the contents of the voicemail are secondary to this and are a matter for the
25:32law enforcement and judicial systems to treat with while he further questions what is deemed credible intelligence.
25:38But he is holding fast to this baseline.
25:42The breach remains the same.
25:46Intelligence material must never become political propaganda.
25:49Such a disclosure could compromise investigations.
25:52It could expose intelligence methods.
25:55It could damage cooperation with local and international partners and destroy confidence in the very same SSA and the wider
26:02national security system.
26:03And Griffith is calling for urgency in treating with the matter.
26:07There must be an independent, immediate and transparent investigation with immediate effect to determine things such as whether the recording
26:16is authentic,
26:17whether it came from a state intelligence agency, who accessed it, copied it or distributed it,
26:22whether security and evidential procedures were followed, whether any political, official, public officer or intelligence officer authorized it, facilitated it
26:33or benefited from its release.
26:35This cannot be handled solely by the institution whose systems may have been compromised.
26:40The former top cop says, if found to be authentic, those responsible for the intelligence information must be removed pending
26:47the completion of such an investigation and accountability must follow.
26:53Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
26:57Their deeds cut path for Aguti to run.
27:00It was the colloquial summation of MSJ leader David Abdullah who noted that everyone who has been detained under SOE
27:08regulations will ultimately benefit from the Hadid struggle.
27:13Over 300 people are said to be in detention at state facilities, having been arrested under SOE regulations, the vast
27:22majority of whom are there without charge.
27:25With their deeds now being set free, MSJ leader David Abdullah notes the disparity in the harsh reality.
27:33They had the financial resources to have for senior councils and to pursue their defense on about three or four
27:41parallel tracks,
27:42habeas corpus, then constitutional motion, judicial review.
27:48All of these were different tracks and high court, appeal court, second appeal court, privy council, several different tracks that
27:55they were pursuing.
27:57So they had the capacity to do that.
28:01I don't think that any of the other persons who are in detention who have not been charged have that
28:06capacity.
28:07And so one thing is that, of course, if you have money, then your access to getting justice is far
28:16greater than those who don't have money.
28:18Yes, and this case demonstrates that.
28:22But Abdullah notes that everyone who has been detained under SOE regulations stand to benefit from the Hadid matter.
28:30What has happened in this Hadid case will set important legal precedents that will benefit others.
28:38So in a sense, they have cut paths for Agouti to run.
28:43And so that can also benefit others who don't have those resources,
28:47because the court judgments that will come out of these matters will be settled law.
28:54In other words, that will be the law and future state of emergencies, future PDOs, whatever,
29:02will whoever's minister and whoever's commissioner, police and so on,
29:06will have to follow what the courts determine in terms of the process.
29:11Other matters are going to no doubt arise with respect to the right to protest in a state of emergency.
29:16And I'm aware of things that may be happening there, so I wouldn't say anything more.
29:20But that may also, other legal challenges could take place against the state
29:28and how it has acted against people who have been engaged in peaceful protests during the state of emergency.
29:34Minister of Homeland Security, Raj Alexander, had cited legal, medical and constitutional issues
29:41surrounding the couple's detention as the basis for their release.
29:46However, Abdullah is questioning the change in the state's position.
29:50Had it gone to the Privy Council, the Privy Council might very well have trashed the state's position.
29:59And that, to my mind, is very significant.
30:01In other words, that would have been a very final decision about the use of PDOs,
30:08preventative detention orders in circumstances where the Minister of Homeland Security has not been provided
30:15with sufficient evidence to justify the use of a preventative detention order.
30:23That seems to be where that is, that they didn't have sufficient evidence.
30:27The TTPS has executed close to 450 PDOs over the period of the SOE.
30:34Earlier this year, 117 detainees were released without charge.
30:40Meantime, attorneys for detainee Earl Richards wrote to Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander,
30:46demanding documents showing how the decision to detain their client was made.
30:51It came following a statement Minister Alexander would have made back in June.
30:56Earl Richards has been held at Tetran Barracks since August of last year
31:00under a preventative detention order issued under a previous state of emergency.
31:06He's already challenging that detention in the high court.
31:10The law firm Quantum Legal is pointing to comments Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander
31:15made at a media briefing on June 26th, where he described a multi-step review process
31:22from police intelligence through legal vetting to his own desk for signing.
31:27That process, he said, involved intelligence material going for an outside legality check.
31:33Head of Quantum Legal, attorney Kristen J. Williams raises a red flag.
31:38Everyone ought to be concerned.
31:40Does this outside legality conform to the provisions of the Interceptive Communications Act?
31:48Who authorized intercepting communications?
31:52That may somehow find itself circulating.
31:55Who authorizes intercepts to go to outside legality?
32:01Because when Mr. Alexander speaks about outside legality, that actually strips all legal defenses he may have
32:12not to tell us who or what comprises that outside legality.
32:18And so, in a letter dated July 23rd, the law firm has called on Alexander to produce the paperwork
32:25proving that the process was actually followed in Richards' case, including who reviewed the file
32:31and what legal standards were used.
32:34Have you had an acknowledgement of your letter?
32:58Failing which Quantum Legal plans on asking the court to order disclosure.
33:03The attorney says prior to the correspondence sent to Alexander, the law firm wrote to the defense minister,
33:09the justice minister, and the speaker of the House of Representatives.
33:12However, should those doors reveal no fruit, our next step is the right of the president,
33:20who is the commander in charge of the armed forces, to inform her that the House of Parliament
33:28may be compromised because of intelligence issues.
33:33Williams calls on how Speaker Jack Day was saying to intervene and review the legal framework
33:37in relation to what is transpiring.
33:39TV6 News has reached out to Minister Alexander concerning Quantum Legal's request,
33:44and we are awaiting a response.
33:47Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
33:51We'll have more news when we return.
33:53Keep it here.
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