GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — A U.S. extradition process against Guyana’s main opposition leader and his father wanted on gold smuggling and money laundering charges can resume after they had legally challenged the request, a Caribbean regional court ruled on Wednesday.
The Caribbean Court of Justice ruled against Azruddin Mohamed and his father Nazar Mohamed who were indicted in Florida last year in a case that has underscored persistent government corruption in the oil-rich South American nation.
Azruddin Mohamed, who leads the second-largest party in Guyana’s Parliament, was elected the country’s opposition leader in January, just six months after founding the We Invest in Nationhood Party.
The two have denied the accusations and fought the extradition proceedings before the Caribbean Court of Justice in Trinidad, which serves as the final court of appeal for several countries in the region.
It was not immediately clear when the proceedings would resume.
“This is, of course, a complicated matter,” Justice Winston Anderson said during the hearing, which was livestreamed.
Attorneys for the Mohameds did not speak during the hearing and did not return messages seeking comment later. The defense had argued that some of the charges the duo face are not extraditable offenses.
Azruddin Mohamed was seen sitting outdoors during the proceedings, smiling occasionally. After the hearing, he posted a video on social media saying that “the work of the people must continue.”
“The fight is still on,” he said. “The CCJ did not rule in our favor, but we respect the court’s decision.”
Meanwhile, Nazar Mohamed told The Associated Press that while it is too early to react comprehensively, their attorneys would advise on the way forward.
“It is a 256-page judgement,” he said. “Our lawyers are checking it through. Based on what lawyers say, all is not lost as yet. ... We will be fighting all the way.”
Azruddin Mohamed is one of Guyana’s wealthiest citizens. He and his father have been out on bond since their arrest last year following the U.S. extradition request.
The U.S. Treasury Department also has sanctioned the duo for allegedly smuggling more than 10,000 kilograms (22,000 pounds) of gold to the United States from Guyana, and evading more than $50 million in taxes.
The Mohameds had been among Guyana’s largest gold buyers and exporters, selling gold to buyers in Miami and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, according to the U.S. Justice Department. They also ran one of the most successful foreign exchange outlets and possess extensive real estate holdings.
While the U.S. government has targeted the two, it remains on friendly terms with the administration of Guyana's President Irfaan Ali as the country experiences an economic boom thanks to massive offshore oil deposits that Venezuela has long claimed as theirs.
Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
FILE - Presidential candidate Azruddin Mohamed, of the We Invest in Nationhood party, displays his ink-stained finger after voting in general elections in Georgetown, Guyana, on Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)
SEATTLE (AP) — The bullets that killed two bystanders during a shootout at a crowded Seattle food festival last weekend do not appear to have come from the gun that a 15-year-old arrested at the scene was firing, police said in court documents filed Wednesday.
The King County prosecutor’s office filed charges of first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement as well as unlawful possession of a handgun by someone under 18. In a statement supporting the charges, police said the teen was seen firing an untraceable ghost gun into a crowd, but preliminary testing of bullets recovered from the two bystanders killed showed they did not match that weapon.
Shell casings found at the scene of Sunday’s shooting indicate four weapons were fired during the shootout, the document said.
Police say a 19-year-old suspect died in the gunbattle, and that as police escorted the 15-year-old past that suspect's body, the 15-year-old said, “Love you bro.”
Police have been trying to identify at least one other person involved in the shooting. The statement did not indicate who might have fired the bullets that killed the bystanders.
The shooting in the waning hours of the three-day Bite of Seattle festival left three people dead, including a 19-year-old gunman, and at least four people injured, including a toddler. Authorities say they believe the violence was gang-related, and they are reviewing any available surveillance video and interviewing victims and witnesses in an effort to identify others who may have been involved.
An eighth person with a possible gunshot wound checked themself into a Seattle hospital after the shooting, but checked out before investigators could conduct an interview, Police Chief Shon Barnes said Tuesday. Legal obstacles have prevented detectives from obtaining the patient’s identity, he added. It’s unclear if the injury was related to the festival shooting or whether the person might have been involved in it, but Barnes asked for the person to come forward and speak with investigators.
Prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to move the case to adult court, a decision that can take months after the judge considers arguments from both sides.
If the teen is convicted as an adult, the charges would carry a sentencing range of about eight to 10 years in prison, plus possibly another five years for the firearm enhancement. However, judges in Washington may also choose to sentence juveniles as juveniles even if they are convicted in adult court.
In juvenile court, the charges would carry a sentencing range of two to 2 1/2 years. It was not immediately clear whether the firearm enhancement might add additional time in juvenile detention.
Michelle Whitehead, right, cousin of victim Ashley Whitehead, attends the vigil for victims the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A memorial for victims of a July 26 shooting is seen at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Flowers and candles are seen placed with the Space Needle at background, during the vigil for victims the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
