A woman is facing jail time after posting death threats against Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, on TikTok. On Wednesday, the accused, Alianna Samaroo, pleaded guilty to the offence, which occurred in late October.
Samaroo, a 30-year-old from Laurel Hill Extension in Arouca, appeared in court virtually. She had spent seven days in custody under a detention order, which expired the same day she entered her plea. According to the details presented, the incident happened on October 30, when Samaroo, a mother of two, uploaded a TikTok video under the username “alianna265”.
She asked Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, to assassinate Persad-Bissessar and members of her cabinet in that recording. The court noted that the statement was considered prejudicial to public order, making it an offence under Regulation 11 of the Emergency Powers Regulations of 2025.
Her attorneys, Shiva Boodoo and Roshni Balkaran-Boodoo, represented her during the hearing. After hearing her plea, Magistrate Marisa Gomez chose to hand down a sentence at a later date, scheduling the next court appearance on December 18, when the magistrate will determine the consequences of her guilty plea. Until then, Samaroo has been granted bail in the amount of TT $50,000. She was later released after signing the bail bond.
It also came to light during the proceedings that she is facing another charge for a separate incident in the Tunapuna district for allegedly driving while intoxicated. That charge remains separate and did not affect the scheduling of her current case, but the court acknowledged its existence as part of her ongoing legal issues.
The authorities have been responding more firmly to threats made on digital platforms to political figures. Police have signalled a stronger stance on social media behaviour that crosses legal boundaries, especially where public officials are involved. In fact, this week alone, a separate case in Trinidad emerged in which a man was charged after reportedly making online threats toward former Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne.