Terrorists’ nationality revoked

The High Criminal Court yesterday revoked the nationality of two Bahrainis convicted of joining the terror group Saraya Al Ashtar. The first defendant was handed down a life sentence while the second was given 10 years in jail.

Chief of Terror Crime Prosecution Dr. Ahmed Al Hammadi said in a statement yesterday that the duo had plotted to murder a police officer and they were in possession of weapons as well as live ammunition which they intended to use in terrorist activities. They were arrested after the police received a tip-off.

The first defendant, a Bahraini-fugitive based in Iran, is said to have been a member of Al Ashtar Brigades and he was the one who recruited his co-suspect for the terrorist organisation, according to court files.

The second defendant allegedly received funds from the terrorist organisation and used them for financing terrorist activities which were sponsored by Saraya Al Ashtar. Saraya Al Ashtar has been designated a terrorist organisation by the Kingdom, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and the United States as well as the United Kingdom.

Prosecutors said that the second defendant was ordered by the group leaders to target police patrols and he surveyed several locations to choose the best one.