ATTORNEYS for two men whose family members were detained in a Syrian ISIS camp have asked for the disclosure of key information on the preparation of Trinidad and Tobago’s Anti-Terrorism Unit's (ATU) annual reports.
The January 31 letter to the Chief State Solicitor’s department raised concerns over data integrity, national security risks, and compliance with international counter-terrorism obligations.
Tamjeed Ali and Saheed Mohammed complained of gaps in intelligence reporting and the failure to lay reports from national-security agencies before Parliament.
Attorneys Athena Smith and Criston J Williams of Quantum Legal said the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) annual reports for 2022 and 2023 had not been presented to Parliament, despite confirmation from the SSA’s director, in November 2024, that the reports had been completed and submitted to the Minister of National Security.
They also said the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report for 2023 had not been presented in Parliament.
The absence of these reports, they argue, undermines the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the Anti-Terrorism Unit’s annual reports for 2022/2023 and 2023/2024.
The attorneys warned that without input from the SSA and TIP reports, the ATU’s annual reports may lack critical intelligence on terrorism financing and human trafficking networks, limiting the government’s ability to combat these threats effectively.
Smith, a counter-terrorism analyst, said intelligence data was crucial in tracking radicalisation, terrorist recruitment, financing operations, and the potential links between human trafficking and terrorism.
She also said without this intelligence, security agencies may be left vulnerable to evolving terrorist threats and could miss opportunities to prevent terrorist attacks or dismantle criminal networks.
The attorneys have demanded full disclosure on several issues, including why the ATU’s annual reports were prepared without SSA and TIP intelligence reports, the methodologies used to verify the accuracy of counter-terrorism data, benchmarks or international comparisons used in compiling the reports, steps taken to ensure compliance with TT’s international counter-terrorism obligations, and details on intelligence sources used in the absence of SSA and TIP data.
They also want to know what safeguards are in place to prevent counter-terrorism overreach and human-rights violations.
Smith warned that missing intelligence reports could damage the country’s reputation in the fight against terrorism and human trafficking, potentially affecting international co-operation and funding for security initiatives.
She also said as a signatory to international conventions and resolutions on counter-terrorism, TT was obligated to collect, analyse and disseminate data on terrorism-related activities, and insufficiency of the annual reports risks non-adherence to international commitments.
She also raised concerns over international scrutiny, questioning whether global counter-terrorism partners had flagged TT’s reports
