AhliUnited Bank heist: Closing arguments on June 6

Manama

Closing arguments will be heard on June 30 in the trial of two convicted in connection with an armed robbery at AhliUnited Bank (AUB).

The accused include a native and a Pakistani citizen, who were handed down 20 years and 5 years behind bars respectively 

According to court files, it was the Bahraini accused who raided the bank's Budaiya branch at gunpoint at 12.30pm on November 16 last year, while customers were still inside the property.

He was wearing a black toga and had a mask on, while committing the crime. Witnesses stated he carried a hammer and a gun. However, nobody was injured in the incident and the 26-year-old culprit fled with BD13,000. 

However, he was arrested about five hours later as he tried to leave the country through the King Fahd Causeway. He was identified after the registration number of his getaway car was caught on CCTV.

According to court files, the accused, who was working for the Special Security Forces Command, committed the crime due to financial difficulties. He had reportedly taken a bank loan of BD24,000, which he was settling as monthly installments.

He reportedly got the pistol following a raid on an arms cache. "When I was on duty, we raided a weapons cache in the Northern Governorate. I found the pistol and I immediately hid it with me. It was loaded with four bullets, and was working perfectly when I pulled the trigger," he told prosecutors.

Explaining the events that prompted him to carry out the robbery, he added, "My car needed urgent maintenance and I had no money. So decided to rob the bank. I particularly targeted the branch because I am familiar with the area and escape routes.”

His co-accused, aged 29, wasn't involved in the robbery, but he saw the accused hiding the stolen money under a water tank. To silence him, the native reportedly offered him BD800, which the latter accepted. He remained silent about the incident, though he himself was a cop.

The Bahraini accused was convicted of theft, assault, embezzlement and possessing a weapon and ammunition illegally, while his co-accused was indicted of hiding stolen money and possessing a weapon without a licence.