Bahraini high criminal court issues verdicts in 2 terror cases

The High Criminal Court today issued 15-year jail term verdicts against defendants in the two terror blasts that took place at the Exhibition Road and in front of Al-Bahri Club last year and confiscated the seized items, Acting Chief Prosecutor of the Capital Governorate Mohammed Salah announced, noting that the first and fifth suspects were tried in absentia and the second, third and fourth in presentia. Details of the two cases reveal that the suspects were trained by the first defendant to use explosives for the sake of putting people's lives and property to danger. The first blast took place at the Exhibition Road during the kingdom's hosting of the Formula One race, and damaged four cars. Concerning the second, the suspects were accused of manufacturing an explosive and putting it in a stolen car which they parked in front of the Al Bahri Club and then detonated it. The Public Prosecution arrested and quizzed the second, third and fourth suspects who admitted being behind the two crimes. A report by the Forensic Science Laboratory confirmed that the two explosives were home-made and that some metal devices were added to them to make them more dangerous. The suspects were referred to the Criminal Court to stand trial over charges of undergoing training on using explosives, using home-made bombs, arson, terrorising secure people for terrorist ends and stealing and damaging cars, based on their personal confessions and the forensic report.