Rioters get jail term

Two Bahraini defendants accused of using arms against the security forces have been sentenced to 10 years behind bars each. Among the duo is a man living in Iran and he was convicted in absentia. The duo are said to have been among five protesters, who rioted in Sitra before firing ammunitions against police officers, who arrived to disperse the mob.

The first defendant, aged 19, was nabbed at the scene. He was possessing the arms and the ammunitions. He told prosecutors during interrogation that he was used to participate in riots, and he got acquainted with the second defendant through BlackBerry Messenger. “I requested from him an arm for BD480, and on the day of the incident, I participated in the riot. Nobody was aware that I was carrying a weapon. The others pelted firebombs at the police officers, and I fired several shots at them,” he added.