Dominican Republic opposition party warns of “terrorist” plot

Santo Domingo.- A senior leader of Dominican Republic’s opposition party (PRD) on Friday asked the authorities to investigate what he called a “terrorist” plot by the organization’s rival faction, headed by former president Hipolito Mejia.

PRD Control Committee president Julio Mariñez said the authorities should investigate reports that a gas station at the corner of the busy Churchill and Sarasota avenues –right next to PRD headquarters- would be “blown up” and noted that it might be owned by Mejia or one of his relatives. “It’s a terrorist act that must be averted, we ask the police to investigate to keep this from being used to terrorize the residents of the area.”

Mariñez’s affirmation prompted the deployment of Police Special Operations agents, who’ve already cordoned off the area

Security chiefs meet with Police chief

National Police chief Manuel Castro on Friday said he’ll assign all the agents needed to protect the areas around the site where the opposition PRD party’s leadership will hold its national meeting.

The official announced the measure after a Friday morning meeting with the security chiefs of Hipolito Mejia and of PRD president Miguel Vargas, active general Carlos Luciano Diaz Morfa and (r) general Rafael Guerrero Peralta, respectively.

At the meeting, Castro said both generals, who didn’t comment to the press, pledged to provide security during the meeting of the PRD’s National Executive Committee (CEN).

"What general Castro says,” Diaz Morfa said when a reporter asked him about security concerns. “What general Castro says,” the active general repeated.

Today’s meeting was held despite that the PRD has yet to announce the date and time the CEN gathering will be held, on which the Interior and Police Minister announced that to prevent clashes between the rivals within the PRD, the agents assigned to their security would be quartered.