5 Bahrainis get life in jail for spying for Iran

A Bahraini court on Thursday revoked the citizenship of five people convicted of spying for Iran and sentenced them to life imprisonment, a judicial source said.

The verdict comes amid escalated tension between Bahrain and Iran, as Manama recalled its ambassador and asked Tehran’s envoy to leave last month claiming interference in its affairs.

It also came a day after Bahrain said it has uncovered a terrorist organisation linked to Iran and arrested 47 of its members, foiling imminent attacks in the kingdom.

The five defendants were convicted of “spying for and seeking with Iran and its agents to carry out hostile acts against the kingdom”, the source said.

They were found guilty of working with Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard to carry out attacks in Bahrain against public facilities and banks.

Three of those convicted, one of whom is in Iran, are being tried in absentia while the remaining two who appeared in court Thursday said they were forced to confess “under torture”, the source said.

Bahrain has always accused Iran of meddling in its internal affairs.

In August, Bahrain arrested five people suspected of links with Iran in connection with a bombing that killed two policemen.

In Wednesday’s discovery, a range of high-grade explosives, bomb making materials and weapons were seized from several locations within populated residential areas. In addition to the materials seized, a bomb-making facility and an explosives laboratory were discovered, the ministry said in a statement carried by Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

“Among the seizures were homemade bombs and raw bomb-making materials, including C4, TATP, Urea Nitrate, and Nitro Cellulose. Ammunition and anti-personnel bomb molds were also seized along with partially constructed armor-piercing explosive devices, which were likely to be used as Vehicle-Improvised Explosive Devices [VIEDs],” the ministry said.

Caption : Pictures released by the Interior Ministry