Guyana Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed Arrested Twice In One Night And Twice In Days

By Staff Writer, NewsAmericas Now

News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Fri. Sept. 4, 2026: Guyana opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed was detained twice in one night Thursday with police and Mohamed offering conflicting accounts of what happened.

It marks the second time in just over a week that Mohamed has been detained by Guyana police. On August 26th, he was released on $100,000 bail following a six-hour standoff involving Joint Services personnel and a vessel carrying opposition figures on the Demerara River, after police alleged the boat failed to respond to sirens during a high-speed pursuit and that a bag had been thrown overboard. Opposition MPs disputed that account, saying the vessel was already docked when police arrived and that a full search turned up no illegal items. That incident also saw MP Natasha Singh-Lewis arrested after a firearm belonging to a colleague was found in her vehicle, and drew condemnation from opposition figures who accused the government of “weaponizing” state security forces against them. Mohamed and fellow WIN parliamentarians had just completed a humanitarian visit to MV Barima disaster survivors when that incident occurred.

Guyana opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed was detained twice in one night on Sept. 2, 2026

Police said Thursday two heavily tinted vehicles were spotted around 6:20 p.m. near the Guyana president’s residence and claimed it was concerning to security personnel there. Officers said the vehicles “sped away” after occupants noticed Presidential Guards on duty, prompting a “distress call” and a police response that intercepted both vehicles. Mohamed and others were found inside but in a live video, Mohamed disputed that the vehicles were heavily tinted. He was briefly detained before being released.

The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority later said several unregistered drones were found in the vehicles, warning that unauthorized drone operation in restricted airspace “is illegal and may constitute a criminal offence” under the Civil Aviation Act 2018.

Mohamed disputed key elements of the account in comments to Demerara Waves. He acknowledged one drone was found but said it did not belong to him and was never flown, offering police access to its flight history to confirm. He said the second intercepted vehicle, stopped separately in Crane, West Demerara, had no connection to him beyond its driver briefly greeting him in passing. He also denied driving on the street where Ali’s private residence is located, saying he had instead passed a nearby street en route to inspect sea defence works.

A second arrest hours later

Mohamed was arrested again late Thursday night and held at the Leonora Police Station, apparently after showing a group of people, via Facebook Live, the area connected to his earlier detention. During the broadcast, Mohamed showed a fenced piece of land near a mosque that he and others alleged encroached on a government reserve, saying, “Like Irfaan Ali ain’t know the more he fights me down, the more I am going to expose things about him and his government?”

Police approached and escorted the group back to the station shortly after. Mohamed repeatedly asked what offence he had allegedly committed before complying; a senior police officer told him “it is alleged that you breached security protocol.” Police also instructed him to end the Facebook Live broadcast.

Mohamed was released a second time on self-bail and told to return Saturday. His phone, laptop and vehicle had not yet been returned as of Friday, according to WIN General Secretary Odessa Primus. WIN executive member Tabita Sarabo-Halley said parliamentarians Dr. Gordon Barker, Dr. Andre Lewis and regional councillor Sean Nelson were also released without charge; Nelson’s phone had not been returned as of Friday, while the phones belonging to Barker and Lewis were.

The Guyana Police Force did not name Mohamed in its initial statement, referring only to two vehicles acting suspiciously near the president’s residence.

NewsAmericasNow will continue following developments in this case. Reporting from Kaieteur News and Demerara Waves contributed to this story.

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