Shooting death in mosque

NALINEE SEELAL

A 41-YEAR-OLD outpatient of the St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital, who attacked an imam and worshippers in a Sangre Grande mosque on Thursday night, was shot dead after he confronted police who were called in.

The man has been identified as Ashwadeen Hamid of Cunapo Main Road, Coalmine, Sangre Grande. According to reports, at 7.30 pm, Imam Reeshad Mohammed was at the mosque with four others in a prayer room, when they heard a strange sound and saw Hamid pulling down an Islamic painting from the wall.

Mohammed confronted Hamid who pulled out a cutlass from a bag which was slung over his left shoulder.

As Mohammed wrestled with him for the cutlass, worshippers called the Sangre Grande police and Sgt Lopez and others responded.

On their arrival, the police saw the suspect running after a man inside the mosque. They challenged Hamid, who rushed them and was shot.

Police called medical personnel but Hamid was declared dead at the scene and his body taken to the Sangre Grande mortuary. Police later interviewed the imam and other worshippers, who told them Hamid had been an outpatient of the psychiatric hospital for the past 15 years. They also said he was no stranger to the mosque and often disrupted prayer sessions and issued threats.

ASP Joseph and other senior officers visited the mosque and investigations are continuing.