Retired Lt Commander Norman Dindial, former director of the National Coastal Surveillance Radar Centre, yesterday reiterated that the radar system seen in Tobago was primarily used in conflict situations and focused on air defence targets.

Speaking with the Express, Dindial said he agreed with the assessment that the radar was not designed to detect maritime targets, and called the announced seizure by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) an act of political propaganda to justify its installation in Tobago.

Dindial had previously told the Express that the radar’s presence in the country had made it a legi­timate target as it is considered highly valuable and vulnerable without defence. As such, he said it would require a defence system in close proximity, such as a missile or strike system, which currently TTPS and Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) did not possess.