Police are taking threats against Prime Minister the Hon. Perry Christie and U.S. Ambassador J. Richard Blankenship seriously and a United States Embassy official said today that his office is also closely monitoring the situation.
Police reports say someone broke into the Bahamas National Pride Association office located at Fort Charlotte and vandalized the building spraying graffiti on the interior and exterior walls. The graffiti is said to have contained threats to the Prime Minister Perry Christie and the U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas J. Richard Blankenship.
Earlier today Superintendent of Police Marvin Dames said that Swastika signs – a symbol of Nazi Germany and used by Neo-Nazi’s- were left in the building. Other reports say that there were also writings that made death threats to Prime Minister Christie and Ambassador Blankenship. Writings in what appeared to be Arabic were also reported as being scripted on the building’s walls.
Superintendent Dames told The Bahama Journal that he was waiting for the matter to be turned over to his department (Criminal Detective Unit) sometime today.
The Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Dr. Ellerston Rahming is quoted in another daily newspaper as saying that the messages of hate appear to have been sent for a major reason and in a given time by a fairly educated individual.
Mr. Brian Bachman, chief political/economic section and public affairs officer at the American Embassy said that he really did not know much more than what appeared in the media but all threats are taken seriously.
“We always take such threats seriously although we have no particular information about this case that is not available to others,” he said.
Mr. Bachman also said that embassy officials would closely follow the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s lead and cooperate with them.
Threats against American Ambassadors although not common in The Bahamas occur frequently throughout the world, Mr. Bachman said.
He said that Ambassador Blankenship would not change the way he conducts his business.
Security around the Ambassador is always tight and his usual security detail will remain in effect, Mr. Bachman said.
The Bahama Journal
