New details have emerged regarding a maritime incident that resulted in the arrest of two men and the tragic drowning of a Bahraini national.
The Interior Ministry confirmed yesterday that the investigation into the October 20 incident has concluded, and findings reveal that the two suspects were engaged in illegal nighttime shrimp fishing in the Fasht Al Adham area when their vessel was intercepted by authorities.
According to the report, the men switched off the boat’s navigation lights and disabled its positioning system upon spotting the Coastguard. They allegedly failed to comply with orders to stop and attempted to flee, resulting in a collision.
Despite the accident, the vessel continued at high speed until it was eventually halted by the patrol, the ministry said.
The men claimed that the collision occurred after they cut the trawling ropes, causing their boat to lose balance.
The suspects – whose ages and nationalities were not disclosed – were detained, and a child found on board was later released.
During questioning, the duo admitted to failing to comply with law enforcement orders during inspection, using prohibited trawling nets, operating without navigation lights, concealing the boat’s licence plate, and disabling the automatic identification system.
About an hour after their arrest, they informed officers that a person – later identified as a Bahraini man – had fallen into the sea during the chase. The Coastguard immediately launched a search
and rescue operation, but initial efforts were unsuccessful. The search continued for approximately two weeks.
Meanwhile, investigators from the Public Prosecution inspected both the Coastguard patrol boat and the suspects’ vessel in the presence of the detained men. They found that both boats were free of any significant damage, showing only minor superficial scratches on a small area of the patrol vessel.
This contradicted the suspects’ claims that the Coastguard approached at high speed and collided with their boat, causing one of them to fall into the sea, the ministry pointed out.
Investigators also noted inconsistencies in the suspects’ statements, for which they offered no explanation.
Furthermore, the men allegedly displayed no concern or responsibility towards the man who fell overboard and made no attempt to assist him, according to the Public Prosecution.
Instead, they continued fleeing until apprehended, only informing officers about the missing man when it was too late.
Search and rescue teams persisted in their efforts to locate the missing person. On November 1, authorities received a report from the Qatari Coast Guard stating that a body had been found at sea.
Procedures were carried out to confirm the identity, which was later verified as the missing Bahraini citizen.
A specialised team, accompanied by family members, was dispatched to identify the body and arrange its return to Bahrain. The Interior Ministry confirmed that findings of the investigation team have been submitted to the Public Prosecution for necessary legal action.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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