Forming ‘IS’ cell: Bahrain court holds in camera hearing

Manama: The hearing of the prosecution witnesses in the trial of Islamic State (IS) members held again behind closed doors for the second consecutive time yesterday.

The High Criminal Court was scheduled to hear the second prosecution witness yesterday, but it announced holding a secret session “based on request from the Public Prosecution”. 

As a result, the press and the public were sent out of the courtroom. And later, judges at the court scheduled a new hearing on April 18 to hear the closing arguments of the case.

Twenty-four Bahraini suspects are being tried in connection with this case.  Aged between 16 and 42, the defendants have been charged in October last year  with forming a cell of the IS group, plotting suicide attacks and recruiting fighters for the jihadist organisation.

However, 16 of the suspects are still at large and they are being tried in absentia. Among the suspects is IS ideological lodestar Turki Al Binali and three of his brothers (the second and third defendant).

The defendants are said to have been plotting to carry out a suicide bombing in
a local mosque.

The mastermind of the cell was Turki, who is believed to have recruited dozens of Bahraini youth and sent them to frontlines outside the country.

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 encourage more young Bahrainis to join IS and facilitate their travel to Syria to receive militia training and fight with IS members. 

The fourteenth defendant is said to have requested the fifth 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.

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 has 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.