THE leader of the violent Resistance gang, who is incarcerated at the Maximum Security Prison, in Arouca, has declared war on the police after four of its alleged members were killed on May 23 during an alleged firefight in the hills of St Augustine.

A post circulating on social media, which has been verified by national security sources as a message from the gang leader, said the police previously killed “Hammers Hot” and “Pitchy” and recently killed Bev, Bounty, Doe and an innocent person. He threatened the lives of the officers and their family members.

The post said its members would stop killing members of rival gangs and train their guns on the police instead.

Police said the Resistance gang is suspected to be responsible for several murders over the years, including the spate of murders at Trainline, St Augustine, in 2023 that left seven people dead and others injured. They are also involved in kidnappings and extorting business owners in Central Trinidad.

Christopher “John Doe” Noriega, 27, Akeem "Scheme" Punnette, 19, Tevon “Beaver” Maynard and Joshua “Bounty Killer” Allen were killed during an alleged shootout in a forested area, known as “The Zone,” at Upper St Michael Road, off St John's Road, in St Augustine.

Police said the official identification of the dead men would be carried done on May 27 at the Forensic Science Centre in St James.

The men were linked to the kidnapping of doubles vendor Anisha Hosein, 27, of Maracas, St Joseph, who was snatched on May 18, at her businessplace in El Dorado. She was released on May 22, near the Caroni Cremation Site. A ransom had been demanded for her release but police did not disclose whether a ransom was paid.

[caption id="attachment_1085696" align="aligncenter" width="498"] Christopher Noreiga -[/caption]

Members of the Inter-Agency Operational Unit were investigating the kidnapping by armed men. She was forced into a silver Nissan B15 at gunpoint and her husband was grazed by a bullet while trying to stop the kidnappers. The getaway car was found abandoned at Lleungo Village, Maracas, St Joseph hours after Hosein was kidnapped.

Police got a break after they arrested a suspect near the area where the car was abandoned and during his interrogation the suspect provided key information which led officers to the campsite in the hills near Mt St Benedict monastery.

The police operation in search of Hosein took place hours after the victim was found. An automatic rifle and a pistol were recovered after the men were killed.

Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Intelligence and Investigations Suzette Martin told Newsday, “The threat will be taken seriously and will be investigated and treated with accordingly."

One senior police officer said law enforcement could only act responsibly by first verifying who the threat came from and then deciding how to deal with it.

“We can not be driven by emotions. We can not be driven by fear. We always have to act within the realm of the law.”

President of the Police Social and Welfare Associatio