Shaken and disturbed, activist, broadcaster and media owner Inshan Ishmael says his TV programme, “Breaking Barriers”, will not return to the airwaves unless threats against him have been removed. Ishmael said yesterday his programme, which shows on the Islamic Broadcasting Network (IBC), would end after he had received word of threats to his family. “They talked about putting me to kneel down and watch as they dealt with my family,” he added.
Ishmael said he was no stranger to threats but it had never reached a point where his family also was targeted. The programme has run for nine years on the network and focuses mainly on highlighting issues in and out of government. He said it also raised money for people who needed medical treatment. He added: “It was a successful show but within the last few months we started getting a lot of threats at the station.”
He said they started around the time he started doing stories on contracts for the Curepe interchange. He believed there was a “contractors’ war” happening which needed to be investigated. “Last week a contractor who works for the Government threatened me and my family outside of MovieTowne in Chaguanas. “Yesterday evening, a friend called and asked to see me about an urgent matter before the show and told me about a plan to burn down my house and my business,” he added.
He said he was told a certain contractor was behind it. Ishmael said a few months ago he made a report to the police Cyber Crime Unit about threatening text messages, which were investigated, but nothing came of it. Yesterday morning, he said, National Security Minister Gary Griffith contacted him about the threats. “I have to commend the minister because the ministry has been working with me,” he added.
Ishmael said he had also increased his own personal security. “I am now secured up to my teeth,” he added. As for his staff, he said they would remain employed with him despite the show’s end.
