10 Iraqis detained in Jamaica were headed to Belize
In news just in, the Associated Press is tonight reporting that ten Iraqi citizens have been detained in Montego Bay, Jamaica and are being interviewed by the U.S. F.B.I.. Their destination? Belize. Let me read the bulletin as we received it just minutes ago:
“F.B.I. agents on Tuesday were questioning ten Iraqi men who were detained at Montego Bay’s airport, Jamaican police said, but did not say why they are being held. The police detained the ten men on Monday after reviewing airport passenger lists and discovering they all held Iraqi passports, police spokesman Lancelot Tyrell said Tuesday. The men had arrived on Sunday on a flight from Havana and had been scheduled to leave Monday night for Belize, he said.
A team of about twenty F.B.I. agents arrived in this north-coast tourist town Tuesday and began interrogating the suspects, who were being held at an undisclosed location, Tyrell said. No one has been charged with a crime. Under Jamaican law, police can hold suspects for up to a week without charging them. The men are being questioned. The police found nothing on them so far, but background checks are being done, Tyrell said. Police would not give any further information about the men, including what they were suspected of, or what their stated purpose was for being in the Caribbean. U.S. Embassy officials declined to comment Tuesday.
Last week, the United States went on high alert for possible terrorism after receiving what government officials called intelligence suggesting possible plans for attacks. Tensions have been high as the United States considers a possible was on Iraq.
Jamaican police are remaining tight-lipped about the status of ten Iraqis who are being held in Montego Bay. The men arrived in the resort town on Sunday and were in transit on route to Belize. They flew into Jamaica on a flight from Cuba before becoming stranded after their flight to Belize from Jamaica was cancelled. Initial reports are that the ten were slated to attend a wedding in Belize. On Monday F.B.I. agents arrived in Jamaica after they heard that the ten Iraqis had arrived in Montego Bay. Up to news time it could not be confirmed whether the F.B.I. had completed their investigations, and local police have yet to give and explanation for their decision to question the men.”
And here’s some more news just in on those ten Iraqis detained in Montego Bay. Sources have confirmed to News 5 that the Belize visas used by the Iraqis have been identified as forgeries. Investigations continue and reports from Jamaica indicate that the Jamaican visas held by the Iraqis are also forgeries. It is believed that these Iraqis, like many of their countrymen, are attempting to leave Iraq before a U.S. attack. Unconfirmed reports from Jamaican law enforcement officials indicate that the ten Iraqis were not involved in terror activities. We’ll have more on tomorrow’s newscast.
