‘Cash-strapped IS member plotted attack in Bahrain’

A Bahraini Islamic State (IS) member was planning to carry out a suicide attack in Bahrain as he had no money to travel to Syria and fight alongside the jihadist group, according to court files.  

Bahraini authorities have charged in October 24  people with forming a cell of the IS group, plotting suicide attacks and recruiting fighters for the jihadist organisation. But yesterday new information about this case unfolded as the High Criminal Court began proceedings against the 24 Bahraini suspects.

Only eight of the defendants have been arrested and the remaining suspects are still at large, with some of them are in Syria and Iraq. 

Among the defendants, IS ideological lodestar Turki Al Binali, who is believed to have recruited dozens of Bahraini youth and sending them to frontlines outside the country and his two brothers (the second and third defendant). 

The third, 10th, 15th and 21st defendants are said to have been also recruited by 31-year-old Turki. The second defendant reportedly travelled to Syria where he received military training and took part in hostilities before returning to the Kingdom of Bahrain. He along with the third defendant was assigned later by their brother Turki to egg more young Bahrainis on joining IS and facilitate their travel to Syria to receive militia training and fight with IS members. 

The second defendant reportedly succeeded in inducting the fourth, 11th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd and 24th defendants to the jihadist organisation.   Turki is said to have been communicating with the new members through social media. The 14th defendant is said to have requested the 5th defendant to carry out a terrorist attack against Shias in Bahrain because there wasn’t sufficient money to help him travel to Syria. They reportedly targeted the A’ali Grand Mosque in a bid to kill a high number of Shia worshipers. 

The sixth and ninth defendants were aware of the attack and supportive to it, according to court documents. Police have seized devices from the captured defendants containing materials supporting IS and a statement of allegiance to IS Caliph Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. 

Turki has been charged with establishing a branch for a terrorist organisation intended to disable the provisions of the Constitution and prevent State institutions and public authorities from exercising its business by terror means. 

The other defendants have been indicted with joining a terrorist organisation, receiving militia training, using arms, possessing weapons and explosives, participating in terrorist operations and planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Bahrain. 

Bahrain announced on October 21 charging 24 people with forming a cell of IS, plotting suicide attacks and recruiting fighters for the jihadist organisation. 

The move came after investigations into the formation of a “branch for a terrorist group... the so-called Daesh,” said a prosecution statement, using the Arabic acronym for IS.