Bahrain: Five men have been jailed for life in prison for being part of a terrorist cell that conspired with Iranian operatives to blow up ATM machines in Bahrain.
However, only three of the Bahrainis were in police custody, while the rest were sentenced in absentia by the High Criminal Court
yesterday.
Investigations revealed that Ahmed Sharaf, aged 20, and Ali Abdulhussein, 22, travelled to Iran to receive weapons and explosives training at camps belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Upon returning to Bahrain they put in motion operations to detonate bombs near ATM machines belonging to the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB), with help from their co-defendants – Sadiq Ebrahim Al Hayki, Jassim Ahmed Abdullah and Fadhel Abbas.
According to court documents, the defendants waited for a “zero hour” order from an operative in Iran as they monitored their targets – details of which were found on Mr Sharaf’s mobile phone.
Mr Sharaf and Mr Abdulhussein have been described as masterminds of the cell and were responsible for recruiting several Bahraini teenagers and providing them with militia training.
Conspire
All five men were found guilty of conspiring with a foreign country, receiving militia training and being part of a terror cell that planned attacks on key establishments in
the country.
They were sentenced to 25 years each behind bars and have had their citizenships
revoked.
“Investigations revealed that two of the defendants responsible for many explosions in Bahrain are at large in Iran and have formed a terrorist group to recruit Bahrainis with the help of another man,” read court verdict documents.
“They successfully recruited two other people who received training on weapons and explosives including TNT, C4, AK47, RPG and MP5, among others.
“They returned to Bahrain and waited for a zero hour command to blow up ATM
machines.
“They filmed the ATM machines and waited to carry out the attacks.
“They wanted to perform terrorist operations with the use of weapons and explosives to cause havoc and fear among citizens, in addition to targeting policemen and putting people’s lives at risk.
“Due to the confessions of the defendants and evidence presented by prosecutors, the defendants were found guilty of the charges.”
The three defendants in police custody were present in court yesterday, but had to be escorted out by policemen after creating a commotion when the ruling was read out.
Defence lawyers said they will lodge appeals against the convictions at the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court.
Mr Al Hayki was previously sentenced to 38 years in prison in absentia for terrorism related charges, while Mr Ahmed Abdullah had his citizenship revoked after being convicted, in absentia, of smuggling and establishing and funding a
terrorist cell.
Both men are believed to be at large in Iran.
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