Bahrain top court upholds up to fifteen years jail for six terror suspects

Bahrain’s Court of Cassation upheld the lower court’s ruling that handed down prison sentences ranging between three to 15 years to six convicts, found guilty of setting up a terrorist group affiliated to “Saraya Al Ashtar” (Al Ashtar Brigades) terrorist organisation and carrying out a number of attacks in the kingdom.

The court, however, turned down revoking citizenship of the convicts.

Bahrain’s High Criminal Court sentenced 13 defendants to life sentence and revoked the citizenship of 11 of them,

The court also sentenced other defendants to 10 years in prison for transporting equipment to a member of the terrorist group, who fled the Kingdom to Iran.

Seven defendants were also fined BD100,000 ($265,188) each.

The Court of Appeals commuted the life sentence handed down to nine defendants to 15 years in jail, and the life sentence to seven years to two others. It also commuted a 10 years’ jail handed down to a defendant to three years in prison.

In 2017, Bahraini High Criminal Court issued a verdict to revoke the citizenship of 15 defendants for sharing intelligence with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist group.

In the same ruling, known under the name of “Al Basta,” the Bahraini High Criminal Court sentenced eight defendants to life in jail, nine to 15 years, and two to 10 years and a 100,000-dinar fine.

Ten of the defendants were referred to custody pending trial, while the court ordered the arrest of defendants who are still at large.

Chief of Terror Crimes Prosecution Advocate General Ahmed Al Hammadi said the High Criminal Court issued sentences against 19 suspects charged with spying for a foreign country and a terrorist organisation working for it, receiving funds from the same country to carry out hostile acts targeting the national interests of the Kingdom, illegally establishing and joining a terrorist group and providing funds for a terrorist cell.

Investigations revealed that the followers of the so-called “Al Wafa Islamic Movement” had formed a clandestine cell under the name “Al Basta Group.”

Evidence also revealed that the defendants had met leaders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah to receive the necessary financial and technical support to carry out the criminal plots of “Al Basta” terror cell in the Kingdom and provide funds for its activities.

During the meetings, the suspects agreed to provide the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah” with secret periodic reports on the political, economic and social situation in Bahrain, the activities of “Al Wafa Islamic Movement” and “Al Basta Group”, as well as on how the money they received was being spent.

Source: Gulf News