Imam Yasin Abu Bakr, the man who led an attempt to overthrow the Trinidad and Tobago Government in 1990, died last night, the Trinidad Express newspaper reported.

Notice of the Islamic leader’s passing was posted on the Facebook page of his son, Fuad Abu Bakr. “To Allah we belong and to him is our eventual return. ALLAHU AKBAR,” the post said.

The Express said it learnt that Abu Bakr, who had celebrated his 80th birthday on October 19, fell at home and was taken to hospital where he died.

Doctors tried to resuscitate him in vain, the newspaper said, adding that the cause of death had not yet been disclosed.

Abu Bakr gained worldwide attention when he and 100 armed members of his Jamaat al Muslimeen group stormed the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament, taking the prime minister hostage and declaring the overthrow of the Government.

It was the only Islamist coup ever attempted in the Western hemisphere. He surrendered six days later after being offered amnesty, and spent two years in jail.

In September this year he issued a “warning” to the Government and all arms of the State to stop “oppressing” citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.

He went live on the Jamaat al Muslimeen’s Facebook page and spoke for over an hour, highlighting the issues he viewed as “oppression” to people of Afro-Trinidadian descent.

“I warning the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, I warning the police, I warning the Coast Guard, I warning everybody who is involved in the repression, the oppression of African people, I warning you today, this is your last day warning. Because it is coming on you,” he said.

He said the Government had been struggling to deal with the novel coronavirus pandemic and its impact on society, and therefore they should heed his words.

He blamed the State for not “helping poor people” during the pandemic, arguing that, with businesses closed, and people not being allowed to move freely, the ability to generate income had been greatly affected and the poorest in society had been feeling it the most.

“COVID-19 is killing persons. It affects the weakest among us. But we have people in our communities who are not eating because they cannot afford to eat. So give them food to eat. Why are they not doing that?” he stated.

“I will tell you why. There is money in the virus. There is money in the vaccine. So they are putting the money elsewhere and they are starving you, and the more they starve you, the easier it is [for the virus] to kill you as the body can’t resist. So they keep being starved,” he said.