Spying: Life term for 5 Bahrainis

By DT News Network. F ive Bahrainis, accused of operating an Iranian- backed terrorist cell that carried out attacks across the Kingdom, were yesterday slapped with life sentence each, and their citizenships revoked in the process. Aged 20 to 38, they were standing trial before the High Criminal Cou

Editorial Team Legacy

Published 6 November 2015, 8:00 · Updated 21:42

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Five Bahrainis, accused of operating an Iranian- backed terrorist cell that carried out attacks across the Kingdom, were yesterday slapped with life sentence each, and their citizenships revoked in the process.

Aged 20 to 38, they were standing trial before the High Criminal Court, which convicted them of conducting espionage-related activities within Bahrain on behalf of the Iranian government, planning terrorist attacks in the Kingdom, and receiving militia training.

However, only two of the defendants are in police custody, while the remaining three are still at large, with two of them believed to be in Iran.

Two of the arrested, aged 21 and 22, reportedly travelled to Iran to receive arms and explosives training between August and September last year. One of the suspects at large is Sadiq Isa Al Hayki, who has already been handed down 38 years in prison, in absentia, for terrorism. The third defendant at large is Jassim Ahmed Abdullah, who has already been sentenced to 25 years behind bars and had his citizenship stripped earlier after he was held guilty of weapons smuggling and establishing and funding a terrorist cell. The aforementioned duo had earlier fled to Iran.

Meanwhile, Fadhel AbassAli, the defendant at large in Bahrain, has already been jailed for being implicated with causing explosions in Bahrain.

One of those in police custody had earlier revealed before the prosecutors how he and his 21-year-old co-defendant flew to Iran to receive arms and weapons training.

“I met my friend (Fadhel Abbas Ali) during demonstrations and he told me that I could join them,” the 22-year-old student said in his statement to the Public Prosecution.He provided me with a BlackBerry phone and told me that he added a contact named ‘Ya Qa’em Al Mohammed’, who then made contact with me and told me to travel to Iran to receive trainings on weapon.”

The 22-year-old told prosecutors that his brother was in jail and his mother was sick and alone, but he had convinced him to travel to Iran under the pretext that he would be doing a ‘favour’ for his country.

“He also told me he would cover all travel costs and that I would travel on August 14, 2014, and return on September 3. I told him that my brother was serving term in prison and my mother was ill so I could not just travel,” he said in his statement.

“But, he told me this was my role to help my country and it was my right to retaliate for my brother.”

He said he and his 21-year- old co-defendant were enrolled to a one-month-long intense militia training programme when they reached Iran. They learnt how to fire an AK47 and use an RPG, in addition to making and planting bombs by the end of their stay.

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Spying: Life term for 5 Bahrainis

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