13 get jail for arson, rioting at National Day celebrations
Thirteen defendants, who orchestrated a plan to ruin the country’s National Day celebrations in Hamad Town last year, have been slapped with 10 years in prison each. They reportedly set a power generator ablaze to cut energy supply to lights portraying the colours of Bahrain’s flags during the country’s National Day celebrations as well as torching tyres.
However, only two of the suspects implicated in the case are in police custody. The other co-defendants are still at large and were tried in absentia.
The suspects are said to have plotted to spoil the country’s National Day celebrations last year. And they burned 15 tyres in Hamad Town on December 17, before torching the generator feeding the lights, which were installed to mark the occasion.
The sabotage also caused damage to a car parked nearby the scene. Investigators had initially identified four suspects involved in the incident, but only two defendants were caught. The other nine defendants were identified during questioning the captured duo. They said the third defendant was the person who encouraged them to carry out violence during the 42nd anniversary of the Kingdom’s National Day.
“I was sitting in a park with my friends and he (the third defendant) came to us, asking to participate in riots and arson acts,” the first defendant told prosecutors earlier.
“He led us to a place, where there were tyres and firebombs. Everyone took a tyre and a Molotov cocktail. One group proceeded with setting tyres alight, while the other group headed towards the generator. They poured petrol on it and burned it.”
The defendants were charged with arson, rioting, putting lives in danger, disturbing the public order, participating in an illegal gathering, possessing petrol bombs, damaging private and public properties.
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