Five jailed for smuggling explosives into Bahrain

Manama, Apr. 26 (BNA): The Chief of Anti-terror Crime Prosecution, Acting Advocate General Hamad Al Buainain said the fourth High Criminal Court today sentenced five suspects to life in jail on charges of illegal smuggling and possession of explosives for terror purposes . The court also ordered the confiscation of the seized materials. The details of the case date to March 15 last year when the King Fahad Causeway customs seized a bag containing explosive substances on board a tourist bus coming from Iraq. Following the incident, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) launched an investigation pinpointing the fifth suspect who was a fugitive residing in Iraq and wanted on several terrorist cases. He exploited his relatives to smuggle substances used in manufacturing bombs and explosives to carry out terror attacks in Bahrain. All suspects were aware of the extent of their actions and helped him in the smuggling operations. Investigations led to the first suspect who was driving the bus and made several trips to Iraq where he met the fifth suspect. Investigations indicated they mutually agreed to exploit the young suspect in smuggling the substances in his bag which was seized at the King Fahad Causeway, in view of his young age and to avoid arousing any suspicion. According to the instructions of the fifth suspect, after the young suspect passes through the King Fahad Causeway Customs inspection, the first suspect would receive the bag from him and deliver it to other people. Investigations indicated that the second suspect had smuggled materials used in making explosives from Iraq last December aboard the same bus. The probe concluded that the third suspect had smuggled substances used in making explosives from Iraq in cohort with the fifth suspect and also received from the fourth suspect the materials which had been smuggled. Following these investigations, the suspects were caught. Upon inspection of the third suspect's place after obtaining warrants from the Public Prosecution, many items were seized in the place used in making bombs. The list included detonators, mobiles phones, electricals and mobile SIM chips. A number of suspects were arrested according to legal procedures and referred to the Public Prosecution. In proving the charges against the suspects, the Public Prosecution relied upon oral statements including the statements of prosecution witnesses, and confessions by the suspects and technical evidences. All suspects were duly referred to the Fourth High Criminal Court which considered the case in the presence of the defence attorneys who were enabled to present their defence arguments and provided them all legal sureties, and accordingly the court issued the aforesaid ruling. The suspects have the right to challenge the sentence before the Court of Appeal within the legally-prescribed period should legal causations exist to impugn. The Bahraini judicial system also permits the challenging of the sentence beyond the Court of Appeal at the Court of Cassation, one of the legal sureties provided to any suspect.