Court rejects appeal of Bahraini jailed for joining terrorist group

Manama :

The First High Criminal Court of Appeal recently upheld the three years imprisonment sentence that was previously issued against a Bahraini man for joining a terrorist group. He was also convicted of undergoing training to use explosives and taking part in illegal gathering.

The appellant was earlier sentenced, along with an accomplice, by the Fourth High Criminal Court, which sentenced him to three years imprisonment, while his partner in crime received a heavier sentence of 10 years behind bars. As shown in court files, the case was unfolded when the first defendant, the appellant who is a Bahraini resident of West Eker village, travelled to Iraq, where he was trained on methods of working undercover without raising suspicions or catching the attention of security authorities. He was also trained there on the manufacturing of explosives and smuggling them into Bahrain to carry out terrorist acts here.

The appellant was arrested a month after he returned from Iraq, while he participated in an illegal protest in the nearby Ma’ameer village, according to Prosecutors. When arrested, police found three mobile phones on the man’s possession. He confessed during the interrogation that he was contacted through one of his social media accounts by the second defendant, who invited him to join the “Popular Resistance Brigades” group and arranged for his traveling to Iraq, under the cover of a religious trip (pilgrimage).

When the appellant arrived in Najaf city in Iraq, the second defendant introduced him to an Iraqi man who trained him on the methods of using smartphones without being caught or traced by security authorities. The appellant also attended theoretical training sessions on manufacturing explosives and smuggling them through borders. The second defendant, who is still at large, was convicted of training on the manufacture and use of explosives with the purpose of carrying out terrorist crimes, in addition to conspiring against the nation.