MONROVIA, LIBERIA-One of the suspects who were reportedly involved in the burning of the Capitol on Monday pretended to have fainted when he was handed a writ by officers of the Monrovia City Court after his Habeas Corpus hearing at Criminal Court ‘B’.

Suspect Thomas Etheridge was taken at the AMI Expeditionary Health Care by the police and was attended to and discharged, but is currently in police custody at headquarters.

On Monday, January 14, 2025, suspect Thomas’s legal team headed by Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi filed a Writ of Habeas Corpus on grounds that their client was detained by the Justice Ministry beyond forty-eight hours, and allegedly tortured while in police custody.

Judge Koboi Nuta listened to both parties and later ruled that the suspect’s claims of being tortured the Court is clothed with the authority to verify the current physical state, adding that the suspect be taken to a credible health facility and the report submitted on or before January 16 at 10 am.

Judge Nuta said the issue of rights has become a concern of the court that cannot be downplayed, and ordered the release of the suspect, but Prosecuting Lawyers took an exception to the ruling, saying that they will take advantage of the law.