One day after his alleged victims were buried the Joint Services yesterday arrested, wanted man Seon 'Picture Boy' Collier during a dawn operation, which also saw them recovering another of the stolen AK-47 rifles, two other weapons and a large quantity of ammunition.

Collier also called John Gaudy fled from Victoria Village, East Coast Demerara on the morning of September 23 after allegedly killing Carl Andrews and Ray Walcott in a vicious attack reportedly over a .38 revolver. He had vowed to return to the village despite being ostracized by residents and had indicated that he would not have surrendered.

His capture yesterday morning came amid tension in his home village following Wednesday funeral.

The Joint Services in a statement yesterday said that ranks conducted an early morning cordon and search operation between the villages of Paradise and Bachelor's Adventure ECD.

During the operation, the statement said Collier was arrested in a house at Bachelor's Adventure.

Stabroek News understands that the servicemen yesterday acted on a tip off that Collier was hiding out in a house at Bachelor's Adventure. Police and soldiers threw a very elaborate cordon.

Ranks also found one AK-47 assault riffle with a magazine and 13 rounds matching ammunition, one Mosburg 12-gauge pump action shotgun with eight live cartridges and one Astra .25 pistol with two rounds of matching ammunition.

Further, the servicemen arrested five other males and two females, who are currently in police custody pending investigations into several criminal offences including robbery under arms.

The Joint Services statement added that it has since been confirmed that the assault rifle is one of those discovered missing from the Guyana Defence Force ammunition bond at Camp Ayanganna, during February 2006. Unknown persons had spirited away the 30 AK-47 rifles from the GDF bond some time in February this year. The weapons ended up in the hands of the criminal network operating between Buxton and Bare Root.

The 12-gauge shotgun is believed to be one of the three stolen from the MMC security guards who were killed during the Agricola massacre in February this year. Three MMC guards were confronted by gunmen at Two Brothers Gas Station at Eccles and shot dead.

Stabroek News was told that the raid yesterday began around 2 am and lasted well into yesterday morning. According to reports after Collier was arrested, the lawmen found a cellular phone on him. Telephone numbers retrieved from the phone reportedly led ranks to the homes of the other persons who were arrested. During the operation several houses and vehicles were searched.

The Joint Services thanked residents in the operation area for their cooperation.

Victorians had turned out in their numbers on Wednesday to bury the brothers. Panic swept through the village during the five-hour long funeral as rumours were about that Collier and his cohorts would make an appearance.

Relatives of the dead brothers yesterday breathed a sigh of relief on hearing that the Collier who has ties to French Guiana was apprehended.

"We couldn't ask for anything more... God is at work and I know it was only time for him to be caught," a relative told Stabroek News yesterday. Tension had gripped the village of Victoria following the double murders and many young men had vowed to stay off the streets at night.

Reports are that Andrews and Walcott were onlookers at a game of dominoes when the 26-year-old gunman rode up on a motorcycle and began chatting with the players. Stabroek News understands that Collier might have been after Andrews for some time now. According to reports, Andrews had been accused of stealing a .38 revolver belonging to either Collier or a relative of his some three months ago. Relatives of the dead men had told this newspaper that they were not aware of the allegations, noting that Collier and Andrews had been very close friends at one time. They said they understood that there was a falling out between Andrews and Collier because of Andrews's suspicion that Collier was involved in nefarious activities.

Stabroek News was told that Collier might have tried to encourage Andrews to join a criminal gang. Eyewitness said that when Collier pulled up on the motorcycle he was wearing black military-type boots, a black jumpsuit and black gloves and he had three weapons on display: an assault rifle slung at his side and two handguns stuck in his waistband. He spoke French to a man he had travelled to neighbouring French Guiana with saying he was there to kill a man. Collier allegedly then drank a beer before riddling the brothers with bullets. He escaped by commandeering a minibus to drop him off at Bare Root.