Three sentenced to jail for terrorist activities

Manama : The High Criminal Court has convicted a man to 15-years imprisonment along with a fine of BD100 and two others to ten years for involving in terrorist activities. The court also revoked the citizenship of three others. 

The court found the accused guilty of joining a terrorist group contrary to the provisions of the law, funding the group, training on the use of weapons and explosives for terrorist purposes, arson, placing fake explosives, holding illegal gatherings, rioting, possession of Molotov cocktails and leading the country in an illegal way, Advocate-General and President of the Terror Crimes Prosecution, Ahmed Al-Hammadi, said. 

Documents of the case revealed that the search and investigation carried out by the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science indicated that members of a terrorist group had received military training on using and manufacturing firearms and explosives, and were funded by some individuals who were living abroad for the sake of subverting security and targeting the security personnel, Al-Hammadi said.

He added that intensive investigations had led to the identification of the suspects, explaining that one of the accused received military training in the camps of the Hizbullah in Iraq after some Iraqi-Hizbullah-linked Bahraini individuals had arranged and facilitated the training.

The same accused moved between Iraq and Iran, where he met many terrorist elements who requested him to carry out terrorist acts in Bahrain after his return here, Al-Hammadi said.

Investigations also indicated that the second and third accused had provided accommodation and money to fugitive terrorists who had fled to Iran, and supported terrorist elements in Bahrain, the Advocate-General said, adding that one of the defendants is closely related to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and received funds from them in order to finance and support Bahraini fugitive terrorists in Iran. The Public Prosecution levelled the charges based on testimonies from the witnesses as well as the confessions of the accused. Then, it referred all the suspects to the High Criminal Court, where they stood trial in the presence of their lawyers.

The Advocate General confirmed that the accused had been accorded full legal rights throughout the trial, adding that they have the right to appeal the ruling, and may challenge the Court of Appeals’ verdict at the Court of Cassation, as guaranteed by Bahraini law.