Hard evidence Spanish-speaking men lobbed explosive devices at police outpost, GPL substation

Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 May 2025, 23:07 by Writer

Police have hard evidence that Spanish-speaking men earlier this month hurled explosive devices in an act of terrorism on a police outpost and a power company substation in the capital, Georgetown.

“Investigators have compelling evidence against them,” Head of the Guyana Police Force’s Criminal Investigations Department, Deputy Police Commissioner Wendell Blanhum said.

He said the evidence includes closed circuit television (CCTV) footage.

Mr Blanhum also said that a male minibus driver was in custody in connection with the explosions at the East Ruimveldt Police Outpost and the Guyana Power and Light’s substation on Mandela Avenue during the pre-dawn hours of May 17, 2025.

No one was injured at either of the two locations.

“Investigators are still making earnest efforts to confirm the nationality of the two Spanish-speaking men,” the police officer said.

The bus driver and a Brazilian man known only as Flavio Tasso were being treated as accessories to the crime, Mr Blanhum said.

The intent of the bombings was not known, but detectives were able to ascertain that the Brazilian man introduced the Spanish-speakers to the Guyanese as men who were here to “to do bad things”. The trio was staying at a hotel in Stevedore Housing Scheme.

No one was injured, but the police station’s back door was ripped out and tossed several metres away.

A lone policewoman was on duty at the time.

The power company’s reinforced concrete base for one of the utility poles was partly shattered, and the metal pole’s base was partly warped and semi-dislocated.

At the time of the incident at the police station, Mr Blanhum had said that several bolts and nuts and a plastic container had been picked up by investigators.

Neighbours had reported hearing objects falling on their roofs.

The acts of terrorism have come at a time when Guyanese soldiers had been shot at by civilian-dressed men on the Venezuelan bank of the Cuyuni River that borders Guyana from Venezuela.

While on duty, six soldiers were shot and injured in February and earlier this month there were three separate attacks, but no Guyanese soldier was injured in any of those incidents.