An employee of Hilton Trinidad has been arrested for questioning in relation to the tear gas incident at the hotel on Wednesday.
By Carol MatrooThe employee, a union representative, was arrested just before 2 pm yesterday, according to a hotel source.
Guests, international cricket players and foreign media were evacuated from the hotel just after 8 am on Wednesday, after a tear gas canister released noxious gases on the eighth floor of the building.
Four international cricket teams—Canada, Ireland, Pakistan and South Africa—have been staying at the St Ann’s hotel for warm-up games preceding the ICC World Cup, scheduled to begin on March 15.
Several employees were taken to Port-of-Spain General Hospital for treatment on Wednesday, after complaining of burning in the eyes and throat.
After the incident, the employee who was arrested had made it clear that employees at the hotel were in no way responsible for the malicious act.
The source said the arrest was made “just to intimidate him (employee).
It have no workers in that. No worker will try to damage their own workplace. That is their job,” the source said.
President of the Communications Workers’ Union Lyle Townsend confirmed that the employee had been arrested, but said he was unable to locate him.
Until the police want you to find out, you will never know...How come they arrest one person?” Townsend said in a telephone interview yesterday.
We don’t don’t even know if that arrest has anything to do with the gas.
We know once the Minister of National Security made his statement, something like this would happen.”
Townsend claimed that the hotel’s general manager Ali Khan had ordered the employee’s arrest.
When contacted yesterday, Khan said he had nothing to say or add to this comment.
The authorities have a job to do and the investigation is in their control,” he said.
We as an organisation have to co-operate with the authorities, especially when it has to do with something of this nature.”
