Failed arson attempts appear politically motivated

This morning’s fire would not have been big news if a number of other blazes, deliberately set last night, had succeeded. Politics, it seems, was being expressed through arson.

Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
Shortly after midnight someone threw what is believed to be kerosene on the Women’s Department building on Albert Street and set it on fire. Fortunately, the flames were quickly extinguished preventing any further damage to the government property. The police say at this time they do not know who is responsible.

Henry Baizar, Fire Chief
“When we got there, we saw smoke coming from inside the building, so we made a force entry into the building and we found fire in three separate locations. The locations are the northern and eastern section of the building, there were three different locations, and we also smelled some sort of accelerant that was used. And all these three locations were set from outside the building, not inside the building, but we found the fire without the outer wall and the casing of the building.”

“That’s a huge wooden building in the centre of downtown Belize City. If that fire had gotten out of control it would have been massive destruction in downtown Belize City, so we are very much concern.”

But no sooner had the fire fighters and police finished their work downtown they responded to a second call, this time from King’s Park. Someone had set fire to the Minister of Health’s vehicle.

Henry Baizar
“They found that the rear driver side of the vehicle was burnt. There was no visible fire at that time. … What we observed was that there was some smell of accelerant that was used to try to catch the vehicle ablaze.”

An unidentified man was reportedly seen standing behind the Toyota Land Cruiser just before the fire started.

G. Michael Reid, Police Press Officer
“We got a call from the residence of Minister Jose Coye where we understand that a policeman going off-duty observed the rear side of his vehicle on fire and he was able to extinguish that blaze.”

But as police were investigating the incident, they were informed about another possible attack at the Prime Minister’s residence.

G. Michael Reid
“That there was someone breaking bottles in an area near the Prime Minister’s house. We don’t know that the bottles were directed at his residence as such, but might have been somebody just drunk and disorderly in the area.”

Shortly after, the police detained Alfonso and Fortunato Noble. The brothers, formerly employed by Channel 7 who now do work for the United Democratic Party, were taken to the Queen Street police station. Today at a U.D.P. press conference, Opposition Leader Dean Barrow characterised the police actions as quote “verging on the ridiculous”.

Dean Barrow, Party Leader, U.D.P.
“Because somebody threw a missile, a pint bottle from a passing car into the Prime Minister’s yard and the police say that the car resembles the one owned by Fortunato Noble. And on that basis, Fortunato and his brother Alfonso, who was with Fortunato at the time—the police came to Fortunato’s house—have been held in police since around midnight last night.”

“The police say that they have to lift fingerprints from the bottle that they retrieved from the Prime Minister’s yard and determine whether those fingerprints match Fortunato’s or Alfonso.”

G. Michael Reid
“It is just a matter though that the police have to investigate incidents like these and we have to determine what exactly occurred, what were their motives and in fact, if they were the ones who were involved.”

Meanwhile, the police say they do not consider the three incidents as major, but that they are concerned.

G. Michael Reid
“The police are out there in force, there are a lot of long, hard hours being put in by these men and women in uniform. They understand that this is the nature of the job and that it will be a while before they are able to let their guards down. Certainly, every available body is there on call or available on duty, so the police are doing everything necessary to maintain law and order.”

The Noble brothers were released from police custody around three-thirty this afternoon with no charges levied against them.