ISIS may have Caribbean link

By Gerald V. Paul

Media strategist Bhaskar Sharma told The Camera he met with Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in New York City while she was attending the UN Security Council and praised her position on fighting terrorism, including ISIS.

“Trinidad and Tobago became a co-sponsor of a binding resolution compelling countries to stop their citizens leaving their homelands to join ISIS and other militant groups based in the Middle East and block them from returning to threaten their native countries using passports already granted,” Sharma said. He was in New York for a business meeting and took the opportunity to speak with Persad-Bissessar.

This comes at a time when it was revealed at least 50 may have flown from Trinidad to Syria to join the terrorist organization Islamist State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) within the last several months.

They are reportedly paid US$1,000 per person per day for fighting for ISIS.

Sharma said he will be going to Trinidad on another of his frequent visits and is hoping to have a meeting with the executive director of their National Security Operations Centre (NOC), Gavin Heerah.

By that time, Sharma hopes Heerah will be able to confirm if the 50 figure is accurate and if Trinidadians are also using South American destinations and other Caribbean islands to depart from as they attempt to conceal their footprints and their final destination.

Meanwhile, Muslims in Trinidad and Tobago pledged to support Persad-Bissessar in her stance against terrorism, as they distanced themselves from ISIS.

A security bulletin titled, “Officer Safety: Jihadist Threats to Police” obtained by Post Media was sent to members of the OPP. It stated there is no information about direct threats to Canada but “a possibility exists that ISIS supporters in Ontario may be inspired to commit such acts as a result of the recently released (ISIS) video.”

In the video, there was a call to kill anyone whose country was taking part in a U.S.-led coalition to fight the group including Canadians. Followers were urged to “strike their police, security and intelligence, as well as their treacherous agents.”