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A pyromaniac faces another spell behind bars for allegedly setting fire to a sofa bed next to the waste bin area in the historic Manama neighbourhood of Fareej Al Fadhel.
The 54-year-old man, who holds no citizenship, is on trial at the High Criminal Court on charges of intentionally starting a fire and posing a danger to others’ lives and property.
The defendant appears to belong to the ‘bidoon’ (meaning ‘without’ in Arabic) category of stateless individuals who were born in Bahrain or spent the majority of their lives in the country.
He has at least five arson-related charges or convictions on his criminal record, and an assortment of theft, harassment and drug-related cases, the court heard. Some charges have been previously dismissed for psychiatric reasons.
According to a Psychiatric Hospital evaluation, the defendant suffered from substance misuse igniting psychotic symptoms. On this occasion, he was considered fit to stand trial.
“I was worried that delinquents would use the sofa so I burned it,” the man earlier admitted when questioned about the latest incident in February. “And also, it was smelly, so I wanted to get rid of it.”
Shortly after the fire, he was stopped and arrested by police in nearby Manama Suq, as he had been captured in the act on camera.” He was already wanted on allegations of stealing a bike.
The court heard witness statements about the blaze. “I was distributing water in Manama, when I saw the defendant next to the dumpster, smoking cigarettes,” an Indian expatriate water delivery driver told the Public Prosecution.
“Then, I saw him bring a lighter to the edge of a sofa cushion, and flames began to rise. When I asked him why he had done it, he yelled at me ‘go, go!’ I extinguished the fire with water that I was delivering.”
A 61-year-old Bahraini witnessed the result of the alleged crime. “I was on the rooftop of a building I own in Manama to check on a water leak, when I saw thick smoke emanating from the back of the building,” he said. “I went to the source where I saw the Indian witness pulling at a burning sofa,” the sound engineer recounted.
Charred remains of the piece of furniture were found at the scene by investigators.
The court heard that the accused’s criminal record stretched back to at least 2006, and multiple instances of him setting fire to objects or structures were highlighted.
In February 2024, he intentionally started a fire in a dumpster, which spread to the wall of a nearby abandoned house, damaging it.
He collected waste next to the garbage container and set it alight. The High Criminal Court found him guilty of arson and posing a threat to people’s lives.
No citizenship is indicated in the defendant’s biographic information over several documents issued by different governmental bodies, although he does possess a CPR number. When asked about his nationality, he told prosecutors he had ‘none’.
Between 1999 and 2002, almost 10,000 previously-bidoon Bahrain-born individuals were granted citizenship upon applying for it, eliminating statelessness as a major public issue, but some bidoon still remain.
Judges set November 25 as the date a verdict will be issued.
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