Rival Gangs Fire Bomb Several Homes In Trinidad Within The Past 72 Hours. Warner Says: One Violent Area Will Not Hold Trinidad To Ransom

A man attempts to put out a fire after a house was firebombed on Tuesday night.

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Wednesday March 6, 2013 – National Security Minister Austin “Jack” Warner, warning that “no one area should hold this country to ransom,” is promising to intensify security in the volatile Laventille area after several homes were destroyed by fire bombs over the past few days as rival gangs continue their turf war.
“The bulk of the murders in the country, 41 per cent of the murders in the country is taking place in one particular area, so one area of the country literally is holding the country to ransom and I go forward to say one small group of men is doing that.
“That is why we have to intensify what we are doing and you will hear, you will read that we are carrying out an exercise in Laventille from today until Monday which will be unprecedented,” Warner said.
More than 100 police officers have already moved into the Laventille area, along the east-west corridor, after several homes and businesses were firebombed over the past 72 hours.
Police say two more houses were destroyed on Tuesday night and are bracing for even more reprisals as the gangs battle each other.
Parliamentary representative for the area, Marlene McDougal told reporters that she has “never seen this type of behaviour on my constituency.
‘This is the first time I have seen this deviant type of behaviour,” she said, adding that the “war’ is taking place between gangs separated by a street in the area.
“It pains me to see what is happening,” she added.