Man who placed fake bomb in A’ali loses appeal

TDT | Manama

The Court of Appeals yesterday rejected the plea of a Bahraini man who was earlier punished with one year in jail for his involvement along with another Bahraini in placing a fake bomb on a busy road in the Northern Governorate.

The defendants were previously sentenced by the First High Criminal Court, which ordered to jail the appellant for one year, considering his young age (16 at the time) in accordance with Article 72 of the Kingdom’s Penal Code. The second defendant, a 30-year-old at the time the crime was committed, was sentenced to three years of imprisonment.

The case occurred in A’ali in 2016, when the defendants placed a fake bomb on Shaikh Zayed Highway; one of the busiest roads in the area. The appellant’s role was to monitor the area, from the top of one of the nearby buildings, while he guided the second defendant through a telephone call so he can place the object without being noticed by the police.

Once reported, a police patrol reached the spot and cordoned off the area, while the specialised teams inspected the object, which was a refrigerating gas cylinder tied to a battery and wires. Upon inspection, the teams discovered that the object was a fake bomb placed on the road to disturb public order and spread fear.

Forensic investigations and laboratory examination showed traces of fingerprints, which matched those of one of the defendants, who had a criminal record and whose fingerprints were registered in the Interior Ministry’s database. He was immediately arrested and led police to his accomplice. Both defendants confessed in the interrogation to their crime.

They were charged with committing an act of terror by placing an object imitating explosives in a public place. It is worth mentioning that Article 72 of Bahrain’s Penal Code states: “If an offence is committed under extenuating circumstances and the judge feels the need for clemency, the penalty shall be reduced.

“If the prescribed penalty is a death sentence, it may be reduced to life or term imprisonment. Further, if the penalty is life imprisonment, it may be reduced to term imprisonment or a jail sentence for a period of less than six months. Where the penalty is a term imprisonment, the judge shall not inflict the maximum penalty but may reduce it to imprisonment for no less than three months.”