Fareed Ahmad: The questionable murder of an accomplished Belizean

Residents initially believed it to be a traffic accident since the vehicle had crashed and ended up in some bushes along the highway. However, on closer observation it was noted that Ahmad had several gunshot wounds to his head.

Ahmad and his family had been reportedly targeted for surveillance by local law enforcement authorities due to his brother’s alleged involvement in terrorist activities abroad. Fareed had only recently filed a complaint against the Police Department for harassment and being unduly targeted by local Police.

Readers will recall that Fareed’s brother, Nazir Ali Ahmad, left his professional agricultural career in Belize to join the Islamic State cause (ISIS) and was labelled a terrorist by the US. Nadir Ahmad had changed his name to Abu Naila and was killed in the Phillipines in January of this year.

Yesterday, almost 11 months later, his brother who is well liked by his peers and has a totally different image, was slain under highly questionable circumstances. Fareed was in the company of a female companion who is a member of the Special Assignment Team headed by Marco Vidal.

Fareed’s murder has brought his friends, family and colleagues raging on social media since it is believed that Fareed may have been shot by a member of the Special Assignment Team of the Police. Many questions surround Fareed’s murder and Fareed’s family has come out with some scathing allegations against the Police, including where is the licensed firearms that both Fareed and his female companion are each known to carry.

The Football Federation of Belize (FFB) and the Football refereeing department, issued a release yesterday extending condolences to the family and friends of Fareed.

Fareed had joined the Belize District Association of Football Referees in 2009 and rose in prominence to become a National Referee by 2012.

According to the FFB, he was a disciplined person who attended most of the monthly training in Belmopan for national referees.

Fareed was on his way to becoming one of the top referees in Belize as he officiated the second leg of the Premier Leagues of Belize Opening Season Semi Final match between the Belmopan Bandits and San Pedro Pirates on Saturday November 25, 2017.