A Ukrainian plane carrying explosives bound for Libya was temporarily grounded in Trinidad and Tobago before being cleared to depart, local authorities announced on Friday (May 15, 2026).

The plane, coming from the Bahamas, landed on Thursday (May 14) at Piarco International Airport in Port of Spain to refuel and was then due to fly on to Libya via Cape Verde, raising police suspicions.

“Upon the aircraft’s arrival, officers of the Immigration Division discovered that the aircraft was transporting explosives which had not been declared in accordance with established international aviation and security protocols,” according to a statement from the Airports Authority Tinidad and Tobago (AATT).

“It was determined that no liability should be attributed to the pilot or crew,” the AATT said. “Consequently, authorization was granted and the aircraft and crew were cleared to depart Trinidad and Tobago.”

Famous for its carnival and beaches, Trinidad and Tobago, a small English-speaking archipelago located about ten kilometers off the Venezuelan coast, is known as a hub for drug trafficking.

Since 2021, the country has declared a state of emergency four times because of crime.

India and Trinidad and Tobago have signed eight agreements in sectors including tourism, healthcare, infrastructure and Ayurveda during External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s two-day visit to the Caribbean nation, according to an official statement.

Mr. Jaishankar, who visited the Caribbean nation on May 8 and 9, held talks with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and other senior leaders on expanding bilateral cooperation and reviewed progress on announcements made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Trinidad and Tobago last year, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Sunday.

“A total of 8 MoUs were signed between the two sides in the areas of tourism, solarisation of T&T’s Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs building, vector control, infrastructure upgrade of Nelson Island where the Indian immigrants were stayed initially, and for setting up of an Indian Chair on Ayurveda at the University of the West Indies,” it said.

In the presence of Ms. Persad-Bissessar, Mr. Jaishankar handed over the first batch of 2,000 laptops to selected schoolchildren and inaugurated an agro-processing facility for which machinery worth $1 million was provided by India last year.

Ms. Persad-Bissessar and Mr. Jaishankar jointly inaugurated Trinidad and Tobago’s National Prosthetics Centre in Penal.

According to the MEA statement, discussions also covered cooperation in infrastructure, security, forensics, healthcare and capacity building.

The two sides reaffirmed coordination in regional and multilateral forums, including on issues concerning the Global South.

The MEA said the visit gave “fresh impetus” to India’s ties with Trinidad and Tobago.

Mr. Jaishankar concluded his visit to Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday. He was in Port of Spain on the concluding leg of his three-nation tour of Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at deepening India’s engagement with the Caribbean nations.