Fallout of Bomb Hoaxes Cripple Business Activity

Operations at several government run departments and agencies were crippled today by bomb threats.

Tax offices across the island closed at 2PM on Friday, following the string of bomb threats targeting government buildings and State-run entities earlier today.

Tax Administration Jamaica said the move was a precaution to ensure the safety of its stakeholders.

Shaloy Smikle has our story.

The TAJ was one of several entities which received threatening emails warning that powerful bombs had been placed inside the building.

The Jamaica Fire Brigade says it received reports of a dozen similar threats across Kingston, Manchester, Portland and St Ann.

The locations included the National Housing Trust’s head office in New Kingston, the New Kingston Business Centre, and the Hagley Park Road offices of the Local Government Ministry in St. Andrew.

The St Andrew headquarters of the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency, PICA, and its satellite office in Manchester were also targeted.

At the PICA head office, where operations closed around 11:00 this morning, a customer who gave his name as Peter, said the disruption put his business in jeopardy.

Emergency services ordered several offices and complexes evacuated amid the threats.

And in the busy business districts of St Andrew, mid-morning traffic slowed to a crawl.

By afternoon, a fresh threat had emerged in Port Antonio, Portland.

The bomb threats came as members of the security forces and elections day workers were casting their ballots as part of the September 3 general election.

The country’s main political parties have clashed over allegations from the JLP that the threats were orchestrated by elements in the PNP.

And, the Security Ministry, on the advice of the police, has given the all-clear for government buildings affected by today’s bomb threats.

In a statement just before midday, the ministry said the risks were assessed as zero to low.

It advised the affected entities to activate their internal security protocols as a precaution.

It also sought to assure the nation that every necessary step is being taken to assess and address the threats, and said normal operations will continue under heightened vigilance.

Meanwhile, the ministry says it condemns, in the strongest terms, any act intended to incite fear, disrupt public order or threaten national security.

It says such action will be met with the full force of the law.