Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain's First High Criminal Court decided to call the attesting witnesses to the stand in the May 14, 2017 court session in the trial of the 23-year-old Bahraini charged with joining the terrorist ISIS organization, having possession of arms, disseminating false news and acting as a link between ISIS affiliates inside Bahraini and militants outside the country. The court also ordered keeping the defendant in custody.

The Public Prosecution stated that the defendant since 2013 has joined a branch of a terrorist organization and took part in its acts, including calls for violating the constitution and law, violating people's personal freedoms and public rights, harming national unity, and using terrorism to achieve these aims. The prosecution further accused him of acting as a contact link between members of the group inside Bahrain and militants affiliated to the group outside the country, using social media sites as means for communication.

The prosecution also said that the defendant acquired without a license a firearm for the purpose of using it in actions that disturb public security and order. It added that the defendant deliberately disseminating false news and rumors about the state's internal situation, with regards to conditions of detainees and issued judicial sentences, for the purpose of undermining the ruling system's prestige and reputation.

The case documents revealed that the defendant has two brothers who are also affiliated to ISIS; one was sentenced to 15 years in prison and stripped of his Bahraini nationality. The documents also showed that he is the cousin of the group's most prominent religious preacher, Turki Al-Binali, whose nationality was revoked in the list of 72 Bahrainis stripped of their citizenships.

The first witness stated that the defendant was a Takfiri element, supporter and member of ISIS, adding that he provided the group with any requested information, including names and information ablout interior ministry officers, in order to target them in terrorist operations.

The defendant confessed to the charges raised against him and admitted that he had been a member of terrorist group for three years and attempted to travel and fight in the ranks of the organization but failed to do so due to a travel ban imposed on him.

Arabic Version