GEORGETOWN, Guyana — A Venezuelan man has confessed to detonating an explosive device at a fuel-station on Regent and King Streets in central Georgetown on Sunday, killing 8-year-old Soraya Bourne and injuring four others, police announced Tuesday.
Deputy Police Commissioner and Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum said the suspect, Daniel Alexander Ramirez Peodomo, admitted that he brought the device from Venezuela and activated it when exiting a vehicle parked near the station.
“We have already secured a confession statement from him,” Blanhum said. “He indicated that the device had a switch which he activated when he exited the vehicle parked within the vicinity of the gas station.”
Police say the suspect entered Guyana legally by boat from Venezuela on the same day of the explosion and was arrested at the Vergenoegen Sideline Dam, East Bank Essequibo. Nine other persons – both Venezuelan and Guyanese nationals – are also in custody assisting with the investigation.
The incident marks a worrying escalation in the country’s criminal-security environment. Authorities have described the attack as a terrorist act, noting it as the third such major incident this year following blasts at a police outpost and a state-owned power-plant substation.
Guyana’s anti-terror legislation, introduced under the Criminal Law (Offences) (Amendment) Act 2002 and related laws, defines a “terrorist act” broadly — including use of explosives or other hazardous means “in such a manner as to cause, or likely to cause, death of, or injuries to any person or persons … or disruption of any supplies or services essential to the life of the community.” Under the statute, a terrorist act resulting in death carries the death penalty.
Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken said the success of the investigation was aided by advanced tools including AI-enhanced video forensics, digital tracking and inter-agency intelligence coordination: “This success underscores the integration of modern policing technology with traditional investigative work,” he stated.
Authorities continue to probe whether the incident was a stand-alone act or part of a broader network, saying they have evidence of links to a Venezuelan gang known as “R”, associated with the “Syndicato” network and may involve both local and international actors.
The explosion generated widespread shock, with the force heard more than a mile away and serious damage to the station, nearby vehicles and buildings. Two children remain hospitalized after surgeries; the adult victim is expected to be released shortly.
Would you like me to include a sidebar on Guyana’s historic use of the death penalty for terrorism charges and how the legislation evolved (including human-rights commentary)?