Mother of two pleads guilty to TikTok death threat against Trinidad PM

A 30-year-old woman who posted threats against Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister in a TikTok video has been scheduled for sentencing on December 18, after pleading guilty before a Chaguanas magistrate.

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Alianna Samaroo, the mother of two boys, entered her guilty plea on Wednesday before Magistrate Marissa Gomez, who accepted the admission on a charge brought under the Emergency Powers Regulations 2025. Police allege that on October 30, Samaroo uploaded a TikTok video using the handle “alianna265” and the account name “alianna265” in which she called on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to kill Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and members of her Cabinet.

The court granted Samaroo bail, set at TT$50,000, equivalent to US$0.16 cents to the Trinidad and Tobago dollar at current conversion, and released her on TT$50,000 bail. Samaroo’s mother, Elizabeth Vasquez-Rosales, later issued a public appeal for forgiveness, expressing hope that the arrest would teach her daughter to respect the office of the Prime Minister and the country’s Parliament.

The matter is part of an intensified police focus on online threats. In a separate incident this week, Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro cautioned social-media users that threats and attempts to undermine national stability will lead to prosecution. That warning followed charges against another suspect — a 48-year-old man — accused of threatening to kill former Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Amery Browne and his family, after threats were reportedly posted on Browne’s Facebook page on November 19. Police confirmed that Browne had no prior connection to the user behind the threats.

Meanwhile, the High Court has discharged six individuals, including two women, who had been detained under ministerial preventative detention orders during a state of emergency declared in December 2024. The group had been charged with conspiracy to murder a prison officer, but the case was dismissed after prosecutors failed to submit evidence or file a required indictment.

Master Delicia Bethelmy ruled that the trial could not advance because the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions received no police file, and disclosure deadlines were missed. The court cited section 11 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act before discharging all six defendants.

According to police accounts, the accused were alleged to have been involved in a plan targeting a prison officer between January 15 and 29, 2025.

The cases reflect broader regional concerns around online incitement, and domestic challenges in legal process continuity, as Trinidad and Tobago’s security agencies strengthen enforcement boundaries in both digital and court systems.