Three arrested, two confess to burning Linden’s GECOM building last year

Jul 09, 2021 News

– fourth person sought as ‘intellectual author’

Kaieteur News – Police have arrested three men for the act of arson committed on the Linden GECOM building in July of last year. Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum, confirmed with Kaieteur News that one of the suspects has since confessed, while another, supported what was revealed in the confession.

Marlon Hunter (with apparent burn marks around his ankle).

Teon February.

According to a release from the Guyana Police Force, Teon February called “Nut”, 23, a Labourer of Lot G 5, Canvas City, Wismar Linden, and Marlon Hunter called ‘Bushy’, 21, of 4th Street, Silver Town Wismar, Linden, were arrested yesterday and confessed to have been paid $75,000 each to set the building on fire.
February told police that Bryon Kendall called ‘Murgie’ of Wismar Linden called him on 13th July, 2020, in the evening and told him to burn the Gecom building. February said, he subsequently contacted his cousin Marlon Hunter to carry out the instructions on a promise that they would be remunerated with $150,000 total once it was done.
They were then driven to the building at night in the company by Kendall who then handed them a 5-gallon bottle of gas from his car trunk. The suspect said that Kendall then left and he and his cousin hid the gas in the nearby bush, not too far away from the GECOM building.
It was just around midnight on 14 July 2020, February said he left with his cousin on foot to the building and retrieved the gas they stashed. He said they entered the compound from the back and ventured to the upper flat where the storeroom is located. There they splattered the gasoline and set the building on fire. However, the blaze caused an explosion and the two arsonists received burns to their feet. They then escaped on foot and went home.
At February’s home, they met three other female cousins with whom they told what happened, and as the female cousins were tending to their wounds, Kendall arrived with $75,000 cash and handed it over to him. February said he gave his cousin Hunter the money and the following day Kendall paid him another $75,000, which he kept.
February told police that sometime after, Kendall told him that they burnt the building because David Granger’s swearing in was delayed. Kendall was subsequently arrested yesterday and investigating ranks are looking for a fourth who is said to be the “intellectual author behind the burning of the GECOM building.”
Firefighters responded to a report of a fire at the Linden GECOM building in the early hours of July 4, 2020. The security guard on duty then had told police that she saw two male persons running from the scene.