Today, the BDF confirmed what we first reported on Friday; the device found inside the seat pocket on a Maya Island Air craft last Tuesday was not an improvised explosive device, but just a firework cold sparkle - a harmless consumer grade device and this one was also used.
This is a major public reversal for them. Last week, a confidential report that concluded it was a dangerous IED was leaked to the media - and that concluded, grimly, that the entire aircraft could have exploded.
Happily, that is not the case; that finding was wrong.
The man given the unhappy task of publicly eating crow on this one was Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Garcia - who - we should note - had nothing to do with the false finding. But, he got the sorriest job in the world: falling on your sword for someone else's total mess-up. Here's how he put it:
Lt. Col. Brandon Garcia, CEO Service and Support Battalion
"An initial report was produced. An initial assessment was also done on the device. For some reason that device I mean for some reason that that report was leaked to the public. Which subsequently cause some confusion and some panic."
"We concluded that the device found on the aircraft was nothing more of a consumer pyrotechnic or a low hazard device. Which is similar to a firecracker or a sparkler, so to speak. The conclusion that it was an IED was preliminary. Like it wasn't fully examined to basically deduce that. Our bomb technicians didn't examine the device thoroughly and when they confirmed that the device was low hazard or a consumer pyrotechnic. We immediately rectify that and sent out that report."
Jules Vasquez
"Is there any review being done of the persons who thought it was an IED, in terms of is there competence or their fitness being reviewed if they could confuse a cold pyrotechnic that's not a high hazard device, recreational device with a lethal explosive device. They must be really out of it."
Lt. Col. Brandon Garcia, CEO Service and Support Battalion
"We are looking into exploring that possibility of seeing where we went wrong as an organization. However, these individuals that responded to this issue, we are going through steps to ensure that there isn't a recurrence."
"Looking at enhancing the capabilities and the training of the bomb technicians. However, those courses are much reliant on the US. But again, we will speak to them and to ensure that we enhance our capabilities within that field."
"As for the discrepancy, I apologize on behalf of the Belize Defense Force and looking forward, we do intend to ensure that we enhance the capabilities the bomb technician."
