GUYANA · POLITICS
Key Facts
- The country Guyana is a small English-speaking country on South America’s north coast whose offshore oil boom, led by US companies, has made it a focus of Washington’s interest.
- Why it matters The leader named in the police allegation is a US-sanctioned businessman who faces extradition to the United States, and the footage sits at the centre of a dispute over how police handled a shooting.
- Why now Police announced the arrest on Monday 26 October 2026, hours after opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed played video of the shooting at a press conference.
- What happened A 20-year-old police constable was arrested over surveillance footage of the 12 October shooting incident involving Mohamed’s car, and police allege Mohamed paid him GY$800,000 (US$3,820) for it.
- The numbers GY$800,000 (US$3,820) allegedly paid, a 23-minute video released, and bail of GY$750,000 (US$3,580) each in the separate gun case.
- What it means for you US persons remain barred from dealing with Mohamed and his listed companies, and the dispute touches the US extradition case against him, which returns to court on 2 November.
- Still open Mohamed’s reply to the allegation, whether anyone is charged over the footage, and what the full video shows.
In Plain English
Special Branch is the intelligence unit of the Guyana Police Force, and the Criminal Investigation Department is its main detective branch. The Leader of the Opposition heads the largest opposition group in the National Assembly.
Extradition is the legal process by which one country hands a suspect to another to face trial. Under US sanctions, American persons are generally barred from dealing with the people and companies on the Treasury’s list.
Guyana’s police say a 20-year-old constable was arrested on Monday 26 October 2026 after admitting he copied surveillance footage of the shooting incident involving opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed’s car, and they allege that Mohamed paid him GY$800,000 (US$3,820) for it. Mohamed, a US-sanctioned businessman who faces a US extradition request, had played a 23-minute video of the 12 October incident at a press conference earlier that day.
The case adds a new front to a feud that already reaches Washington, because the US Treasury has sanctioned Mohamed since 11 June 2024. Readers can follow the background in earlier coverage of how Guyana’s opposition leader was arrested after the Kitty shooting, and on the Guyana country page.
What Police Say Happened
The Guyana Police Force says detectives from its Criminal Investigation Department arrested the constable, who is stationed at the force’s Command Centre, on Monday 26 October after receiving intelligence. Police say he admitted that on Friday 23 October, while on duty, he discreetly downloaded surveillance video of the shooting outside the home of Senior Superintendent Prem Narine and saved it to a flash drive.
The statement says the constable told detectives he acted on the instruction of the Leader of the Opposition, and that on Saturday 24 October Mohamed sent an employee to bring him to his home in Houston, East Bank Demerara. Police allege that Mohamed paid him the cash there in exchange for the recording, and that the constable spent part of the money and handed the rest to his mother.
Detectives are trying to retrieve the money, and police say the investigation into several offences is continuing. The constable has not been named, and no charge over the footage had been announced in the sources reviewed.
Mohamed’s Video and His Account
At the press conference on Monday, Mohamed released surveillance recordings of the incident that News Source Guyana says came from the government’s Safe Country Initiative cameras and had no sound. News Source Guyana reports that he claimed to have obtained the footage from the Special Branch, and Demerara Waves quotes him saying “Even the people in Special Branch, they are not pleased with how things are going.”
News Source Guyana describes the video as showing Narine and other officers leaving a white police vehicle at the junction of Vlissengen Road and Sandy Babb Street, with the senior superintendent appearing to hold a gun. Mohamed calls it a “failed assassination attempt,” says it shows Narine shooting at his car at close range, and has announced that he will bring private criminal charges against Narine.
The 12 October Shooting and the Charges
Police say Narine, who heads the Special Branch, was at his Barr Street home in Kitty, Georgetown, just before midnight on Monday 12 October when he saw a black Toyota Allion pass twice. They say he heard what appeared to be a gunshot, took cover and fired several rounds, and that officers later stopped the car with Mohamed and two staff members inside.
Police say a search found a .32 Taurus pistol without a serial number and three live rounds, while Mohamed says police tried to kill him and planted the gun. Mohamed, Mario Mohamed and Eugene Thorne pleaded not guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition and to obstructing justice, and each was granted bail of GY$750,000 (US$3,580), Kaieteur News reported on 17 October.
Why Washington Is Watching
The US Treasury sanctioned Mohamed, his father Nazar Mohamed and their company, Mohamed’s Enterprise, on 11 June 2024 for public corruption linked to Guyana’s gold sector. The United States is seeking to extradite father and son on federal charges tied mainly to an alleged scheme to evade taxes and royalties on gold exports, iNews Guyana reports.
The extradition hearing before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman returns to court on 2 November, and Narine is one of only two prosecution witnesses to have testified so far. Kaieteur News reported on 14 October that Guyana’s government said it was keeping the US Department of Justice informed about the shooting.
What It Means for You
For US readers, the story matters because the man at its centre is a US-sanctioned businessman who leads the main opposition in a country where American energy companies lead the offshore oil industry. A feud between him and the police could also colour the extradition case that Washington has pursued in Georgetown.
US persons remain barred from dealing with Mohamed and his listed companies under the Treasury sanctions, and nothing in the police statement changes that. The amounts in this story were converted at the midpoint of the Bank of Guyana’s buying rate of GY$207.98 and selling rate of GY$210.45 per US dollar on 26 October.
What Is Not Known
Mohamed’s reply to the police allegation is not in the sources reviewed, although he said earlier on Monday that Special Branch members gave him the footage. The constable has not been named, no court has heard the bribery allegation, and no charge over the footage had been announced.
It is also not known what the full 23-minute video shows beyond the descriptions of it, or whether the Director of Public Prosecutions will accept private charges against Narine. The next date in the firearm case was not stated, while the extradition hearing returns on 2 November.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Azruddin Mohamed?
He is a Guyanese businessman, the leader of the opposition We Invest in Nationhood party and the Leader of the Opposition. The US Treasury sanctioned him in June 2024, and the United States has asked Guyana to extradite him.
Why was a Guyana police constable arrested?
Police say the 20-year-old constable downloaded surveillance video of the 12 October shooting on 23 October and was paid GY$800,000 (US$3,820) for it. He is under close arrest, and detectives are investigating several offences.
What does Mohamed say about the footage?
Mohamed says the video shows a failed assassination attempt on him by the Special Branch head, and that Special Branch members gave him the footage. The sources reviewed carry no reply from him to the bribery allegation.
Has anyone been charged over the leaked footage?
No charge over the footage had been announced in the sources reviewed. Mohamed and two staff members face separate firearm and obstruction charges from the 12 October incident and have pleaded not guilty.
What happens next in the Mohamed case?
His US extradition hearing returns to court on 2 November. He says he will file private criminal charges against Special Branch head Prem Narine.
Sources: News Room Guyana, Guyana Police Force statement, 26 October 2026; iNews Guyana, Guyana Police Force statement, 26 October 2026; Demerara Waves, 26 October 2026; News Source Guyana, 26 October 2026; News Room Guyana, police statement on the 12 October incident, 13 October 2026; Kaieteur News, 17 October 2026; Kaieteur News, 14 October 2026; iNews Guyana, 22 October 2026; US Department of the Treasury, 11 June 2024; Bank of Guyana exchange rates, 26 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief