Four jailed for helping ‘convict escape Bahrain’ lose their plea

The High Appeals Court has upheld the sentences issued against four defendants convicted of helping a wanted terrorist flee abroad. Five were initially tried in this case, but the fifth defendant was acquitted due to lack of evidence.

The case came to light when the Kuwaiti authorities arrested the man, who’s on the Interpol’s list of wanted criminals while attempting to enter Kuwait through the land borders.

The man succeeded in evading arrest at both sides of King Fahad Causeway, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, as he used his brother’s identity to cross.

However, he was immediately arrested at the Saudi-Kuwaiti borders where he used his original passport, not knowing that there is an arrest warrant issued against him by the Interpol.

When extradited to Bahrain, the man confessed that he is wanted here for his involvement in a terrorist crime that occurred in 2015, according to Prosecutors.

The man told the interrogators that he was hiding at his mother’s house and that he didn’t leave the place for three years fearing arrest.

He said a friend, who’s wanted here for terrorism crimes and had escaped to Iran, said he would assist him in escaping Bahrain with the help of others.

In March last year, he used his brother’s ID card to escape from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia through King Fahad Causeway with the help of other three defendants.

He said he stayed in Qatif, Saudi Arabia, until he was instructed to travel to Kuwait using his original passport.

The man, who was promised that he would be received by another accomplice in Kuwait, was arrested while attempting to enter Kuwait coming from the Saudi borders.

The four defendants, including the escapee, were sentenced to three years, while a fifth suspect, who’s the escapee’s brother, was acquitted by the court as his. ID card was used by his brother without his consent.