MANAMA: A man featured in a controversial documentary broadcast by Al Jazeera, which made claims about Bahrain, has gone on record to say that the information was fabricated.
Video footage of Bahraini Mohammed Saleh, which appeared in the documentary, showed him claiming that he had been ordered to carry out assassinations of opposition figures on behalf of the country’s leadership.
However, he appeared on Bahrain TV last night to say the allegation was false – adding the footage had been filmed in 2011 in an effort to put pressure on the Bahraini police force, which was investigating him for ties with Al Qaeda.
It emerged the footage was handed to Qatar by a Bahraini Al Qaeda sympathiser, who had been evading arrest in Turkey, in return for asylum.
“What was recorded was never intended to reach Al Jazeera, I have no connection with them,” said Mr Saleh, who has been convicted of terrorism charges.
“The video was supposed to be a source of leverage against the security forces, so they would not try to pressure or arrest us – as we were arrested in 2004.
“This is why the video was recorded. It has nothing to do with what Al Jazeera is claiming.
“As for being tasked to carry out assassinations or bringing weapons into Saudi Arabia, there was never any such task – the whole matter is devoid of truth.
“The reason it was mentioned was to apply media pressure on the situation at the time.
“There were some officers who were mentioned by name, they were only mentioned because I knew their names as I was brought in for an investigation.”
The footage was included in the Al Jazeera documentary, which has been slammed by politicians in Bahrain for seeking to incite divisions within the country.
It appeared alongside testimony of a former BDF soldier, who has already been convicted of spying for Doha and sentenced to death – although he is still at large and is believed to be in Qatar.
Mr Saleh said the footage of him was recorded in Bahrain in 2011 by members of an Al Qaeda-linked cell.
Surprised
He said he and two other members of the cell retained copies on a CD to use as leverage if they were arrested, but he was surprised when it surfaced on Al Jazeera – having presumably been sold to Qatari officials.
One of them, Bassam Al Ali, and another man in whose home the video was recorded, Jamal Al Balooshi, also appeared on Bahrain TV last night to corroborate Mr Saleh’s story.
Bahrain TV also played an audio recording of phone calls between one of the three men in possession of the recording, Mohedien Khan, who was in hiding in Turkey, and Qatari officials.
The recording suggests Mr Khan provided Al Jazeera with the footage in return for political asylum.
“I was told by some people in Qatar that there is a new system for political asylum,” Mr Khan is heard saying. “They said they could speak to the government, so I could come there if anything was to happen to me in Turkey and I could seek asylum at the airport.
“I was told I could go to the embassy in Ankara and apply for asylum – and I’d be meeting with someone who would speak to someone who is the uncle of Shaikh Tamimi. For your information, to this day Al Jazeera is still trying to contact me.”
ghazi@gdn.com.bh
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