Guyana Opposition Leader Arrested After Shooting

POLITICS · GUYANA

Guyana opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed was arrested in Georgetown late on Monday 12 October, the Guyana Police Force said. Police said the head of the Special Branch intelligence unit fired at his car after hearing what appeared to be a gunshot.

Mohamed, 39, is under US Treasury sanctions and faces a US extradition request, so the case reaches well beyond Guyanese politics. He says police tried to kill him and planted a pistol in the car, and none of the claims on either side has been tested in court.

Mohamed leads We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), the main opposition party in the National Assembly, according to Demerara Waves. He was formally declared Opposition Leader in January 2026, after the 2025 general election.

What Police Say Happened in Kitty

According to the Guyana Police Force statement, the incident happened at about 11:45 p.m. on Barr Street in Kitty, a district of Georgetown. Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, the head of Special Branch, said he saw a black Toyota Allion moving slowly past his home.

The car passed his residence and returned a short while later, police said. As it approached a second time, Narine heard what appeared to be a gunshot, took cover and fired several rounds from his service weapon.

The car drove away and was later stopped at the junction of Vlissengen Road and Sandy Babb Street, also in Kitty. Inside were Mohamed and two men from Timehri, on the East Bank of Demerara, aged 25 and 35.

Police said a search of the car, carried out in front of the three men, found a .32 Taurus pistol with no serial number. Officers also found three live .32 rounds, and the three men were arrested for possessing a firearm and ammunition without a licence.

Investigators recovered one spent .32 shell on the southern side of Barr Street, roughly opposite Narine’s home, and four spent 9mm shells. Police said the weapon, ammunition and shells were sent for ballistic testing and that CCTV footage from the area will be reviewed.

Police are also investigating an alleged discharge of a loaded firearm with intent, News Source Guyana reported. The state-owned Guyana Chronicle said Narine told police he had previously seen the same car watching his home.

The three men remained in police custody on Tuesday as the investigation continued, police said. The statements published by Tuesday afternoon did not say whether any charge would follow.

Mohamed Says the Gun Was Planted

Speaking on a Facebook Live from the Kitty police station early on Tuesday, Mohamed said officers fired at the vehicle intending to kill him. He said shots were fired on Barr Street and again at the car on Vlissengen Road, Demerara Waves reported.

Mohamed and his lawyer, Siand Dhurjon, said an earlier search of the car found nothing and that the pistol was planted. Dhurjon said the gun, found under the accelerator pedal after a sniffer dog was brought in, had not been there seconds before.

According to News Source Guyana, Mohamed said he and his workers were in the area to document what he called an abuse of state resources. He pointed to a large police presence outside the Special Branch chief’s home, and the outlet reported visible gunshot damage on the car.

These are allegations by one side, and the police account is also an early version of events. Mohamed and the two other men are presumed innocent, and no court has yet examined any of the evidence.

The Extradition Case Behind the Clash

Narine is a witness in the hearing on the US request to extradite Mohamed, held before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman. On the stand he has called Mohamed a threat to national security, citing alleged killings for which Mohamed has never been charged.

On Tuesday the Court of Appeal heard Mohamed’s challenge to Guyana’s extradition law, the Fugitive Offenders Act, in his absence. Acting Chancellor Roxane George reserved the ruling, noting the court has up to one month to decide, News Room reported.

It is the latest police action involving the Guyana opposition leader this year. Earlier detentions this year were covered in Guyana Opposition Leader Arrested Twice, Then Released.

His Facebook posts have also drawn scrutiny, with a lawyer for President Irfaan Ali reporting one of them to Meta, as covered in Guyana Lawyer Flags Opposition Post to Meta. On Monday night Mohamed again used a live social media broadcast to put his side of the confrontation.

What It Means for US Readers

On Tuesday 11 June 2024, the US Treasury sanctioned Mohamed, his father Nazar Mohamed and their gold company, Mohamed’s Enterprise, for public corruption. It acted under Executive Order 13818, which implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

Treasury said the company left more than 10,000 kilograms of gold out of import and export declarations between 2019 and 2023. It said this avoided more than US$50 million in duty taxes owed to the government of Guyana.

For US companies and investors active in Guyana’s oil-driven economy, the sanctions mean dealings with him or his listed companies are off limits. A Guyanese firearm investigation now runs alongside the US extradition effort against the same man.

Guyana keeps the same clock as US Eastern time in October, so the shooting took place at about 11:45 p.m. New York time too. The police statements describe one encounter across two streets and mention no wider risk to the public.

What Is Not Known

It is not known whether the apparent gunshot Narine reported came from the car, or who fired the .32 shell found on Barr Street. Ballistic tests and CCTV footage should help answer those questions, but no results had been published by Tuesday afternoon.

It is unclear how custody affects the Guyana opposition leader’s extradition hearing, and the appeal ruling may take up to a month. Police had not said by Tuesday afternoon whether charges or bail would follow for any of the three men.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was arrested in Kitty, Georgetown?

Police identified the three occupants of the car as Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and two men from Timehri aged 25 and 35. They were arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm and ammunition without a licence.

Why did the police officer fire at the car?

Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, head of Special Branch, said he heard what appeared to be a gunshot as the car passed his home a second time. He took cover and fired several rounds from his service weapon, police said.

What does Azruddin Mohamed say happened?

He says police tried to kill him and planted the pistol, which his lawyer says was found under the accelerator pedal. None of these claims has been tested in court.

Why is the Guyana opposition leader under US sanctions?

The US Treasury sanctioned him on 11 June 2024 for public corruption linked to gold exports. Treasury said his family company avoided more than US$50 million in duty taxes owed to Guyana.

Has anyone been charged?

Police statements published by Tuesday afternoon did not announce any charge. All three men are presumed innocent.

Sources: Guyana Chronicle (Guyana Police Force statement); News Source Guyana; News Room Guyana; Demerara Waves; Demerara Waves (Mohamed’s account); News Room Guyana (Court of Appeal); US Department of the Treasury, 11 June 2024.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

The Rio Times · Power Map

See who really holds power in Latin America

Click to open the Power Map →