The United States Embassy in Nassau sent a strong message to the government after one of its diplomats was assaulted and robbed on the way to church.
The embassy said, “On the way to worship services in downtown Nassau, a diplomat assigned to the United States Embassy was accosted, robbed, and injured.
According to Superintendent Paul Rolle, who heads the Central Detective Unit, a 74-year-old American woman was robbed by a man as she walked to worship at St. Francis Xavier Csathedral on West Hill Street. Rolle said a man approached her, threw her to the ground and stole her purse, cash and jewelry.
“The man left heading east along West Hill Street towards Baillou Hill Road on his bicycle, where he was able to make good his escape,” Rolle said.
Bystanders who were at the church to worship assisted the diplomat in the aftermath of the attack., She was treated at Doctors Hospital for injuries, which Rolle said were minor.
Reports of Americans being targeted by robbers have been surfacing in the headlines more frequently.
Last Sunday, two American visitors were robbed at gunpoint outside the Royal Towers, Atlantis Resort and Casino, though no one was said to be harmed in that incident.
Last month, American sailor Kyle Bruner, 34, of Chicago, Illinois, was shot and killed during an armed robbery on Mackey Street, just south of East Bay Street.
Four men have been charged with his murder.
Bruner’s murder prompted yet another warning from embassy officials for Americans to be on the lookout.
That warning sent out last month said that armed robbery remains a major threat facing U.S. citizens in The Bahamas.
It also said that since the beginning of the year, a number of U.S. citizens have fallen victim to armed robbery with some seriously injured in the commission of these crimes.
U.S. Charge d’Affaires John Armstrong told The Nassau Guardian in March that American, and other diplomats “have noticed that there’s a serious situation”.
He added that the U.S. Embassy has an obligation to warn U.S. citizens of crime trends.
Prime Minister Perry Christie recently said The Bahamas needs additional help from the United States to effectively deal with criminal deportees from that country.
By Juan McCartney
Guardian Broadcast Editor
