Police last night demanded a withdrawal of comment by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan that officers had arrested a local man who had been acting as a go-between with gang members in an attempt to interfere with the process.

Minister Farrakhan and Bermuda Music Festival promoter Rock Newman, who helped to facilitate his visit, also said a woman who helped to organise meetings with other gang members had also been severely harassed. Minister Farrakhan, who said he believed Bermuda should organise a gang summit to try to end violent crime, made the claims during a press briefing at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess yesterday.

Minister Farrakhan said the man, arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and released the next day without charges, was questioned on who the Nation of Islam leader had been speaking to.

He said the Police actions raised concerns that there may be rogue elements in the Police and in the Government who did not want to see gang violence or drug dealing end. But in a statement, a Police spokesperson said the arrest of a man at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess wanted in connection with a home invasion was "in no way connected" to the anti-gang meetings.

Calling the 6 p.m. arrest on Sunday near the hotel "a significant arrest", the spokesman said the 43-year-old was wanted in connection to a case of aggravated robbery with a firearm and grievous bodily harm the day before. The man had been seen in Hamilton.

The spokesperson said the BPS "takes great exception to the unfounded allegation" that the arrest was "calculated to disrupt a community outreach effort".

"To further allege that arrests were made with a corrupt motive – without a shred of evidence to support the notion — is irresponsible and scandalous," he added.

Before asking for the withdrawal of the statement, the spokesperson reiterated the "mandate made loud and clear by the Government and people of Bermuda" on gang activity.

"We make no apologies for the perceived inconvenient timing of our law enforcement activities. We sincerely hope that the visiting minister will withdraw his statement in light of the Service's track record of supporting community efforts to reduce crime and acknowledge that our primary role as a law enforcement agency must take precedence in our operational priorities."

Minister Farrakhan also singled out The Royal Gazette for its coverage of his speech at the National Sports Centre, saying: "I am very grateful for the article in The Royal Gazette. They reported what I said and the way I said it. For that I am very grateful."

Minister Farrakhan again repeated that he believed there were corrupt elements within the Police and the Government who wanted to see gang violence continue. He said the gang members he had spoken to said they did not want to continue the "nonsense" cycle of violence, but he believed the arrest meant other unnamed people wanted it to continue. "Someone does not want to see peace. Someone does not want us to stop the flow of blood and maiming each other," he said.

Minister Farrakhan said a gang summit would be a "start" in ending the cycle of violence. He also said he would be prepared to meet with the leadership of the Police if it could be arranged, but he claimed that he had not been treated by the Police with the respect an international figure deserved. "There were no Police I know of who offered anything to help with this visit; not with security, not to move our convoy through traffic ..."

Minister Farrakhan, who lived in Somerset when he was a small child, said he had been asked to come to Bermuda by Mr. Newman, who had described some violent crimes to him.

Because the Nation of Islam was involved in conflict resolution in the US, he said it made sense to come to Bermuda.

But he said he did not realise crime had gotten so bad, a problem he blamed on the pollution of the Bermudian soul by modern media, technology and materialism.

For more on Minister Farrakhan's visit see tomorrow's Royal Gazette.