SEVERAL gang leaders have gone into hiding while a few have fled the country in fear of being executed.

Information reaching this newspaper is that an elite Death Squad, which consists of lawmen and criminal elements has been mandated to wipe out certain gang leaders.

According to our source, this directive came from high political authorities, in an ultimate attempt to ease the escalating murder rate.

The so-called Death Squad is said to be similar to American “operatives” who operate indirectly under State management.

This is not the first claim of the existence of such a body in recent times.

However, last month when TnT Mirror investigated the matter, the Ministry of National Security’s Communications Unit said there was “absolutely no basis to the claims being made.”

National Security Minister Martin Joseph said then, that he was “not in a position to comment at this time,” and suggested that such information is sensitive and that he would need more time to look into the allegations before making a comment.

Joseph was also asked to comment on allegations of the existence of a list of persons being monitored by the Ministry of National Security for allegedly having links to terrorist groups.

While not admitting or denying that the list exists, he said that his ministry has information pertaining to several recent deportees who may or may not have possible terrorist links, but stressed that it was normal for the ministry to have data on deportees.

He also warned against “simplifying the issue”. No further word has since come from the minister as promised, but new claims are being circulated by fresh sources.

“They are using members of gangs to identify the marked gang leaders,” one source told Mirror, who added that the “Death Squad” has a list of names to be executed.

Sources also told Mirror that approximately 30 of the murders last year were “Death Squad” executions.

“And the squad has already wiped out a few this year already,” sources said.

Meanwhile, since the slaying by police of murder suspect “Boneman” (whose passport, incidentally, shows he was abroad at the time of the crime for which he was charged) some gang leaders have become more on edge than usual.

Boneman, eyewitnesses claim, was cornered by police, then forced into his vehicle and driven away, only to be later reported killed in a shootout with police.

As a consequence of persistent rumours of the Death Squad’s existence, one known gang leader of Laventille is said to be in St. Lucia, while another from Barbados is reportedly back in his native land waiting for the heat to cool.

Another known criminal from Diego Martin who is a suspect in several murders is said to be hiding in Grenada.