Trinidad and Tobago declares state of emergency on expected spike in gang violence

A government building is seen in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ash Allen)

Trinidad and Tobago declared a state of emergency on Monday as the government braced for reprisal shootings after an attempt on a gang leader's life, officials said.

The dual-island Caribbean nation off the coast of Venezuela will use the emergency to launch an anti-gang crackdown, authorities said.

Defence forces will become de facto police officers and both are allowed to conduct searches without a warrant, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young said at a press conference.

Bail will be suspended and those suspected of committing a crime can be held for 48 hours without a charge. That could be extended another seven days by court approval, Young said.

On Saturday, armed gunmen shot at a known gang leader who was leaving the police station, killing a member of his crew, according to Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. The report did not name the gang leader.

On Sunday evening, five men were shot dead in what is believed to be an act of retaliation, Newsday reported.

Trinidad and Tobago has seen a record number of murders this year.

(Reporting by Curtis Williams and Kylie Madry; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Rod Nickel)