Following
early morning kidnapping US diplomat released
Thirty-seven-year-old
Steve Lesniak, who is attached to the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) was snatched from the Club at about 9:10
hrs yesterday. Lesniak, residents in the area said, was playing golf at the time of his abduction. The Tee Box is located about 300 metres from the Club House.
According
to residents of Lusignan, the kidnappers
emerged from the bushes east of the golf club course and held him up
with their guns before taking him on foot through the bushes. They headed
in the direction of Buxton. During the
incident, Lesniak dropped his identification card and cellular phone
About
five minutes after the alarm went up, patrols from the
Guyana Defence Force (GDF) arrived on the scene followed shortly
afterwards by the police who immediately began combing the area in search
of the victim and to possibly arrest the perpetrators. The
security forces were also using the GDF helicopter to scan the area in
their efforts to locate Lesniak. The
Chronicle was reliably informed yesterday by diplomatic sources that a
team of security officers from Washington was yesterday dispatched to
Guyana to investigate the diplomat’s kidnapping. The
Chronicle understands that five men were actually involved in the kidnap
but two of them executed the actual abduction. Lesniak
played golf at Lusignan frequently and would normally be in the company of
friends when playing, but at the time of his abduction, he was playing
alone, apart from the caddies, an employee said. Employees
of the Club also spoke glowingly of Lesniak, relating that he is always
pleasant, friendly and helpful. Meanwhile,
the victim of an earlier kidnapping on Friday, Deo
Basdeo of Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara escaped from his
abductors unhurt. However, Basdeo and his family have since moved out from their home and are relocated at another residence for fear of the attackers striking again.
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