The Nassau Guardian
FNMs under death threat
Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Darron Cash said last night several senior FNMs all received a death threat.
According to Cash, the threat was made against FNM Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis, FNM Deputy Chairman Dr. Duane Sands, former FNM MP Brensil Rolle, North Eleuthera MP Theo Neilly and FNM Deputy Leader Loretta Butler-Turner, as well as himself.
Cash said the threat was made in March, but he spoke publicly to the issue for the first time yesterday after Butler-Turner told reporters that she received a graphic death threat (also in March) warning that if she did not resign from politics she would meet her end.
She said she reported that matter to police at the time and was warned on Tuesday not to take the letter sent to her lightly.
She said that she knows nothing about the letter threatening other members of the party.
While not commenting specifically on Butler-Turner, Cash said, “The March communication referred to the leader and me and several other party officials, including the deputy leader.”
That letter warned the leadership of the FNM, as well as Cash, Sands, Rolle and Neilly to “resign now. If not the mobs will be shooting you all in your neck one by one”.
It was signed “sincerely FNMs” and said it was copied to the speaker of the House and “Leader of the Opposition Hon. Hubert Ingraham”.
But House Speaker Dr. Kendal Major said yesterday he received no such letter.
Cash said the party did not report the letter to the police.
When contacted yesterday, Sands told The Guardian that he knew nothing of threats made against him.
Cowards
Butler-Turner said the latest warning caused her to be concerned about the safety of her and her family.
“I come from a background where death is a very real thing,” said Butler-Turner, a mortician.
“I don’t fear death. I just fear cowards who want to make such threats. Death is something that all of us will go through. I do not want anyone to think that I fear that.
“I just do not want people to take my life prematurely for whatever reasons they may have.
“What I found interesting is that they were very graphic in what they were going to do to me before they took me out.”
She said she reported the initial letter to Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade.
“In the interest of allowing the work of the department to be done I determined that it was best not to say anything,” she said.
The Guardian was unable to reach Greenslade yesterday and Superintendent Paul Rolle, officer-in-charge of the Central Detective Unit, offered no comment on the matter.
Butler-Turner said the recent warning has caused her to reconsider her approach to the matter.
“That somebody can come to me, or people can come to me, in recent hours and say to me that this is what they have heard and I need to be very guarded and aware of what I’m doing, where I’m going. That, for me, causes a little concern,” she said.
Butler-Turner has said that she is considering running for the leadership of the FNM, but did not wish to speculate as to why someone would want her to resign.
When asked if she would resign, Butler-Turner said no.
“It’s been three months and I haven’t resigned,” she said. “I plan to continue in what I am doing.”
She added that this was not the first time that she has received death threats.
“I got two threats during the time that I was a government minister,” she said.
“They were very similar to the threats that I got three months ago.”
She said that she is now considering whether she has take extraordinary measures to protect her and her family.
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