Two airport officers on trial over passenger detention and theft

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

The High Criminal Court has begun hearing a case involving two customs officers at Bahrain International Airport, accused of unlawfully detaining a passenger and stealing SAR3,500 from him inside an airport restroom.

The two defendants, who remain in custody, appeared before the court and denied all charges.

Lawyers representing the second defendant — Dalal Al-Zowayed, Yousef Ghunaim, and a lawyer deputizing for Fareed Ghazi — requested copies of the case file, time to review the evidence and respond, and the release of the accused.

The court adjourned the case to 28 December for pleadings, ordering that the defendants remain in detention. The Public Prosecution charged the defendants, both customs officers, with committing the alleged offenses on 24 September while performing their official duties at Bahrain International Airport.

The first defendant is 34 years old and the second 25. Prosecutors stated that the offenses were committed during and because of their public employment, as they were entrusted with safeguarding passengers’ property.

According to the indictment, the defendants unlawfully detained the victim and deprived him of his liberty without legal justification by escorting him to a restroom located near Gate 14 of the airport.

The prosecution alleged that the officers searched the passenger without his consent and without following legally prescribed procedures, including conducting searches in designated inspection areas and informing their supervisor.

During the incident, the defendants allegedly stole SAR 3,500 belonging to the victim, which had come into their possession by virtue of their official duties.

Testifying before the court, the head of investigations at the airport stated that the victim filed a report on 29 September 2025, alleging that while departing a Gulf country at 4:35 a.m. on 24 September, he was stopped by two uniformed personnel who instructed him to accompany them to a restroom near Gate 14.

The officers asked him, in Arabic, about the amount of cash he was carrying, prompting him to hand over SAR 40,100. The money was returned shortly afterward, and the passenger was told to proceed quickly to his flight, with the officers escorting him to the boarding gate.

The witness added that once the passenger was seated on the aircraft, he checked the cash and discovered that SAR 3,500 was missing.