Courts issues jail terms against three terror suspects

Manama, Jan. 17 (BNA): Acting Head of the Terror Crime Prosecution, Chief Prosecutor Hamad Shaheen, said that the fourth High Criminal Court today sentenced two suspects (the first and third) to 10 years in jail, and fined them BD 600 and BD 500 respectively. The court also handed down a seven-year jail term sentence against another defendant (the second), revoked the citizenship of three suspects and confiscated the seized items. The suspects were found guilty of joining a terrorist group, contrary to the provisions of the law, training on the use of weapons and explosives for terrorist crimes, possessing weapons and ammunition for terrorist purposes, in addition to possessing pornographic materials. Case documents indicated that the first suspect had contacted terrorist elements in Bahrain and abroad, and travelled to Iraq in 2017, where he received military training on making and using explosives and firearms by the Sariyya al-Muqawama al-Sha'bia (Popular Resistance Brigades)-affiliated second suspect. The latter recruited the first suspect to that terrorist group in order to prepare him to carry out terrorist acts in Bahrain. The first defendant was also trained on making and using explosives by the third suspect outside Bahrain. The first suspect was also found guilty of transporting materials related to making explosives from Bani Jamra to Hamad Town, as well as of monitoring and following the movement of an Interior Ministry’s officer while he was leaving this work o target him. The Public Prosecution relied in substantiating the charges levelled against the suspects on technical and verbal evidence, including the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses and the confession of the suspects. The accused were referred to the High Criminal Court which heard the case in the presence of their lawyers, provided them with all legal guarantees and issued its afore-mentioned verdict. The suspects have the right to challenge the ruling before the Court of Appeal and, then the Court of Cassation as guaranteed by the Bahraini Constitution for all defendants.