Bahrain court upholds jail terms of two rioters

Manama: The Supreme Appeals Court upheld the sentences issued against 12 persons convicted of attempting to murder police officers and setting two police patrols on fire.

Eleven of them earlier received 15 years in prison each, while the 12th defendant was given 7 years behind bars. 

The defendants were involved in the attack against police officers near Al Ramli Mall in A’ali, in which a mob of over 70 miscreants took part.      

The accused reportedly divided into three groups and showered police officers with petrol bombs, burning one of the cops and setting two patrol vehicles on fire.

“We were deployed in A’ali to maintain order, but suddenly at 2:30pm, over 70 masked men approached us while our patrol vehicle was near Al Ramli Mall,” one of the officers who was among those attacked told prosecutors.

“We tried to move the car, but they were moving towards us from three different directions. I stepped out of the car along with another cop in a bid to disperse them, but a firebomb bounced off the vehicle and hit him (the other cop) burning his face. Another bottle was thrown inside the vehicle, setting it ablaze,” he added.

One more cop was also injured in the attack after the vehicle was torched. 

During questioning, the second defendant told prosecutors that he had received a phone call from the first co-defendant who requested him to participate in the assault against the security forces. “He told me that they were going to gather at 1:30pm and firebombs were prepared. When I went to the place I saw many masked men,” he said.

 I was told about the plan and I learned that my friend (the first defendant) had made arrangement to record the assault to upload it online,” the second accused said.

He also told police that the first defendant instructed them to open the patrol vehicle’s door and throw a firebomb inside it. “We were planning to murder the police officers,” he said.

All the accused were fined a combined total of BD12487 for the damages they caused to the vehicles.