In a quaint village in southeast Trinidad, a 55-year-old man tends to his crops and rears his livestock.

Far away from the hustle and bustle of the larger townships in the south of the island, Ashmeed Mohammed prefers to live and work in solitude.

Mohammed, who worked in Canada in the 1990s, says he has had a bittersweet relationship with his native TT since returning in 2005 after being branded a terrorist by local authorities.

Ten years ago, Mohammed along with 16 other men, was arrested for a purported plot to assassinate the prime minister at the time, Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

This plot was supposedly one of the reasons put forward to justify the 2011 state of emergency (SoE) that was in effect from August 22-December 5, that year.

Owing to a lack of evidence, no charges were ever brought against Mohammed and the other men detained during the state of emergency, but memories of his time in custody weigh heavily on him.

Speaking with Sunday Newsday at his Rio Claro home in February, Mohammed recalled his experience of being arrested, but said despite the pain and embarrassment he experienced during the SoE, he insists TT is still his paradise.

“I love this country. This country is a paradise. Really, when you understand what goes on in other countries, from a social point of view, we pretty much live a good lifestyle in Trinidad.”

A La Romaine native, Mohammed left TT in 1990 and migrated to Canada, where he worked as a computer programmer and machinist.

[caption id="attachment_912534" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Ashmeed Mohammed gathers grass to feed his goats in Rio Claro. - PHOTO BY ANGELO MARCELLE[/caption]

After earning enough cash to live comfortably, Mohammed said he felt a need to return home and did so in 2005, returning to his hometown, where he began a tent rental business, which flourished for a while.

Up until the SoE was declared in 2011, Mohammed said he has lived an uneventful lifestyle with no run-ins with police, and insists to this day he has a clean certificate of character.

Senior police confirmed that Mohammed did not have a criminal record, but maintained that this did not necessarily prove innocence.

Recalling the day of his arrest, Mohammed said an afternoon of running errands took a surprising turn.

“I came out the bank and went to my vehicle, which was surrounded by tactical police and an officer said to me, ‘You’re under arrest. Step away from the vehicle.’"

Eventually during a search of his car, one of the police told Mohammed he was suspected of having drugs, guns and ammunition.

Despite the initial shock, Mohammed admits he was slightly amused on hearing this.

[caption id="attachment_912533" align="alignnone" width="887"] Ashmeed Mohammed, at his homestead in Rio Claro, says he finds solace in his faith. - PHOTO BY ANGELO MARCELLE[/caption]

“I started to smile, and they watched me as if I was crazy, because I knew this was a piece of cake – because if that’s what they thought I was involved in, then I knew it was only a matter of time before

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