Jamaican charged with terrorism

DAVID BERNARD, a 46-year-old supervisor employed to one of the restaurants at the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA), is the first Jamaican to be slapped with terrorism charges.

Personnel from the Organised Crime Investigation Division yesterday charged Bernard with terrorism activity, contrary to Section 3(2)(b) of the Terrorism Prevention Act.

He was also charged for committing an act endangering or likely to endanger aircraft safety, contrary to Section 17 (3) of the Tokyo, Hague and Montreal Conventions Act.

On February 27, this year, a call was received from a male by personnel from the Transnational Crime and Narcotics Division alleging that an employee of one of the duty-free shops at the NMIA was planning to place explosives on an American Airlines plane.

Investigations concluded that the information communicated to the police was false, malicious, and was a personal vendetta against the duty-free shop employee.

The charges against Bernard were made following a ruling by the director of public prosecutions.

Bernard was also charged with creating public mischief.