Islamic leader's compound destroyed by Trinidadian authorities

Trinidadian police raided the compound of an Islamic leader on Thursday, detaining as many as ten people before releasing most of them, authorities said.

The compound belonged to Jamaat al-Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr, 64, charged Wednesday for sedition and violent incitement.

Abu Bakr last week called for war against all rich Muslims, who failed to pay zakaat, an Islamic tithe used to alleviate poverty. On Monday, Abu Bakr was arrested and charged with sedition. On Thursday, Abu Bakr appeared in court to face four charges and was denied bail. He was arrested on Monday.

As many as 25 police officers and soldiers forced their way into the compound and flattened Abu Bakr's office with a bulldozer. Authorities also began using heavy equipment to search for weapons they believed might be buried beneath the compound.

They confiscated one weapon during the initial stages of the operation.

In 1990, Abu Bakr's group bombed police headquarters, stormed Parliament and took the prime minister and his Cabinet hostage in a rebellion that left 24 people dead in Trinidad. The rebels eventually surrendered and were later pardoned, AP reported. V.A.