A CONVICTED bomber sentenced to death has denied involvement in a fatal blast and claimed to know the identity of the real culprit.
In a dramatic hearing at a Bahrain court yesterday, Mohammed Ramadan Hussein said he was wrongly convicted of a bombing in Dair that killed policeman Abdulwaheed Al Balooshi and injured five others on February 14, 2014.
The former airport security officer and another man, Hussein Moussa Mohammed, a former hotel employee, had their death sentences upheld by the country’s highest court, the Cassation Court, in November 2015.
They were among 12 Bahrainis found guilty of premeditated murder, attempted murder, detonating and possessing an explosive device, taking part in an illegal gathering and possessing Molotov cocktails.
However, in October last year the Cassation Court ordered a retrial at the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court based on new evidence that came to light during a review of the case by the Interior Ministry’s Ombudsman Office, which was set up to ensure police adhere to professional standards.
The office alerted the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), which conducted its own probe and proposed a retrial.
The decision was based on Interior Ministry medical documents for one of the defendants, which were not disclosed during the original trial.
Both Mr Hussein and Mr Mohammed appeared at the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court yesterday, where judges gave Mr Hussein more than 30 minutes to speak.
He was first reluctant, fearing his testimony would be released in the Press after the leading judge told him it was an open hearing.
The judge then asked if he would like to speak behind closed doors, but Mr Hussein agreed to give his testimony during the public hearing.
False
He said he was falsely implicated in the case because he had previously taken part in riots – adding that he informed police of the alleged real bomber’s identity during the initial investigation phase.
“I know who carried out the bombing and I am 99 per cent sure he did it,” he said in court yesterday.
“I am innocent and I am not only saying this because I have been sentenced to death.
“The person who carried out the bombing had a warehouse full of bombs, and I have never been implicated in connection with any terrorist cases before.”
He said he was taking part in a riot where the bombing took place, claiming that it did not make sense for him to be present if he knew an explosive was going to be detonated.
“I am a former officer and I request compensation and for my reputation to be cleared,” he said.
“My own son has been crying to his mother because children in school told him his father is a killer.
“I want to prove that the wrong person is standing trial and I have informed authorities who (the real) bomber was.
“However, a detective who carried out the investigation in the case was convinced I was the mastermind behind the attack.
“Why would I be participating in the rally and masterminding a bombing against police at the same time.
“Also, those who joined the rally on February 14, 2014 in Dair did not know a bombing was going to take place.”
His defence lawyer Mohammed Al Marzooq also spoke in court yesterday where he requested his client’s acquittal. “Who will walk around at a rally showing his face to everyone and then carry out a bombing minutes later?” he asked in court.
“This is not possible – even a madman will not do this.
“If he is the mastermind of the attack he would not have participated in the rally.
“Therefore, I request his acquittal because the entire case is built on information from secret sources and the confession of the other defendants which were taken under duress.”
The hearing was adjourned to November 27 for a ruling.
While two defendants were sentenced to death, another was handed a life sentence and nine were jailed for six years and fined BD1,000 each.
They lost appeals at both the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court and the Cassation Court.
According to original case files, Mr Hussein was said to have supplied the bomb used in the explosion, while Mr Mohammed was accused of remotely detonating it near a cold store in Dair.
An illegal rally had been organised to lure officers to the location.
Most of the defendants were previously wanted by police in connection with terrorism cases, for which they received jail sentences of up to 15 years.
noorz@gdn.com.bh
&uuid=(email))