Dutch territorial authorities announced on Monday the arrest of a person of interest in connection with the July 17 shooting of Sint Maarten politician and leader of the Oualichi Movement for Change (OMC) party, Oliver Arrindell. The politician sustained injuries but was released from the Sint Maarten Medical Center in a stable condition. Sint Maarten has been a constituent country of the Netherlands in the eastern Caribbean since 2010; it was previously a territory and before that a Dutch colony, going back to the 17th century.
At the time of the shooting, Arrindell was in his vehicle, with his wife, Sabrine, and their 10-year-old daughter.
On Friday, Sint Maarten’s Prime Minister Luc Mercelina addressed the nation, condemning the attack and confirming that Arrindell’s wife, Sabrine, was fatally shot and had died at the scene. Their 10-year-old daughter was not injured during the attack. Mercelina stated:
This is a dark day for our nation. An attack on any citizen is an attack on all of us. Our hearts go out to Mr Arrindell, his family and the loved ones of Sabine who lost her life in such a selfless act. We share in the grief and offer our deepest condolences during this time of profound sorrow.
Police Spokesman Felix Richards confirmed to local media that the shooting resulted in three people being transported to Sint Maarten Medical Center for medical attention.
The third person was Laurence Lake, a member of Arrindell’s party, who was later released in a stable condition.
Minister of Justice, Lyndon Lewis, stated, “Violence is not part of the fabric of Sint Maarten.” He elaborated:
Our nation is founded on principles of peace, respect, and democratic engagement. Our electoral processes have always been conducted peacefully, without regard to political affiliation. Citizens of Sint Maarten have the right to speak freely, to demonstrate peacefully, and to express their political color without fear.
Arrrindell had been recently registered with the electoral council to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections on August 19.
Arrindell is a controversial politician. Last year, he released 29 videos across social media platforms accusing then-Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, Silveria Jacobs, of corruption. Jacobs sought legal action, and Sint Maartin’s Court in First Instance found that Arrindell’s accusations and other defamatory statements infringed on personal privacy. Arrindell is currently appealing court orders demanding he apologize for misleading, tortuous and unfounded statements against Jacobs.
Further information regarding the identity of the arrested person of interest will not be released “due to the sensitive nature of this case and to preserve the integrity of the investigation, no further information will be disclosed at this time.”
