UNIFICATION CITY, Margibi – Police in Margibi have arrested and turned over for investigation two suspects to the National Security Agency for their alleged involvement in masterminding the recent power outage at the Roberts International Airport.
Recently, passengers aboard flights from airlines such as SN Brussels have been stranded due to a poor lighting system on the RIA runway.
According to a reliable Liberia National Police source in the county who spoke only on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the story, LNP officers assigned at the RIA detachment arrested the two suspects.
The source said the two suspects revealed that they were hired from Buchanan, Grand Bassa and allegedly took instructions from William B. Toe, an electrical engineer at RIA, to sabotage the airport.
The two suspects are said to be currently in the custody of the NSA and are undergoing investigation. The source said Toe is also being investigated.
Sam Collins, spokesperson of the LNP, confirmed the arrest of the two suspects via phone and said they are currently under investigation.
The management of the Liberia Airport Authority, in a prior press statement, had denied media reports of power outages on the runway.
The Authority had said there was a technical glitch with the runway lighting system that airline operators noticed and reported.
“It is noteworthy that in an environment such as the RIA, these technical faults and glitches are common not only in Liberia but within the sub-region and airports around the world,†the management said.
But Frederic Vloeberghs, the country manager for Brussels Airlines, told a group of journalists that there were no runway lights working when the airline attempted to operate its flights.
According to Vloeberghs, when the flight landed at RIA and was ready for departure, there was complete darkness and it could not take off and had to spend the night at the RIA.
When contacted, Ebenezer M. Wilson, the public relations officer of RIA, said it was too early to mention anything that is currently being investigated by the NSA.
“It is early at this stage to pre-empt or give you any detail as to the outcome of the investigation,†Wilson said.
Featured photo courtesy of Jefferson Krua
