Court to rehear appeals in cops murder case

Manama : Twelve men convicted of murdering a  police officer have had their sentences rejected by the Cassation Court. The case has been sent to the Supreme Appeals Court for re-hearing.

The defendants are accused of murdering policeman Mahmood Fareed in a bomb blast .

The 24-year-old Pakistani  man was patrolling the area when the explosion happened. He suffered injuries to his legs and abdomen. He was rushed to the BDF Hospital, but died shortly. Another officer also suffered minor injuries in the blast. A group calling itself Saraya Al Ashtar (Al Ashtar Brigade) claimed responsibility for the blast.

They allegedly used SIM cards belonging to Asian labourers to make calls to mobile phones that remotely detonated homemade explosives in East Eker. They were also charged with forming terrorist cell that carried out a spate of bombings targeting policemen. 

A 19-year-old student, one of the accused,  told prosecutors he was given orders by a 31-year-old who was earlier given death penalty, to carry out surveillance on the police vehicle. 

“My role was to survey a police vehicle in Eker. I carried out surveillance for eights days, every day, from 7pm to 9pm,” the student said in his statement.

Seven of the other convicts were sentenced to life in prison, while the remaining four were given 10 years behind bars.