PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – A telephone hotline number has been set up to allow people to share information they may have on Trinidad and Tobago nationals who may be heading to join the international terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The information, which can be given anonymously, will be collected and passed on to the relevant authorities, including the ministry of national security.
Local media reports the hotline was set up by Muslim activist Inshan Ishmael, even as it has been reported that three more Trinidad and Tobago nationals are preparing to head to Syria to join ISIS fighters.
Speaking with media, Ishmael confirmed an increasing number of people leaving to join ISIS.
According to news reports, three men in their late 20s from Trinidad left last week for the U.S. and from there will fly through Europe and on to Syria, where they will be met with ISIS recruiting officials.
According to the government, at least 89 Trinidad and Tobago citizens have already left the country to join ISIS, although U.S. intelligence sources put this number closer to 130.
Prospects are reportedly being offered as much as US$2,000 a month for training with ISIS and an additional US$1,500 for the care of their respective families.
However, when they get there and meet with ISIS personnel, they are met with aggression and their documents, including passports, are taken from them.
“They have to realise that when they reach there, their documents will be taken away from them and their lives will be destroyed as well as their families’ lives,” Ishmael said.