Manama : The Chief of the Terrorism Crimes Prosecution announced that the High Criminal Court has handed down judgments in two separate espionage cases involving a hostile foreign state, sentencing three defendants to life imprisonment for collaborating with the terrorist Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and individuals acting on its behalf in support of hostile and terrorist activities targeting the Kingdom of Bahrain. The court also ordered the confiscation of seized items.
In the first case, investigations by the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science found that the first defendant, a fugitive wanted by the security authorities and operating abroad on behalf of the terrorist IRGC, had recruited the second defendant, who was in Bahrain, to gather intelligence on strategic sites in the Kingdom for use in planned attacks during the Iranian aggression.
In the second case, the investigation found that the defendant had been in contact with an online account operated by the terrorist IRGC, sending videos of the Iranian attacks on Bahrain’s vital facilities, together with the locations and coordinates of key sites in the Kingdom to assist in further attacks, posing a serious threat to national security and public safety.
The Public Prosecution said it launched investigations immediately upon receiving the reports, questioning the defendants in Bahrain, interviewing witnesses, and assigning forensic experts to examine seized electronic devices. The investigation concluded that the intelligence provided by the defendants played a significant role in the Iranian terrorist attacks targeting critical infrastructure and vital facilities in Bahrain, endangering the Kingdom’s security and stability.
The defendants were referred to the High Criminal Court, where the two cases were heard separately over several sessions. The prosecution said all legal guarantees were upheld, including the defendants’ right to legal representation and to present their defence, before the court issued its rulings today.
The Public Prosecution emphasised that espionage on behalf of states hostile to the Kingdom of Bahrain is among the most serious crimes against national security, as it provides hostile parties with intelligence that can be exploited to carry out attacks against the Kingdom and its interests. It reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing such offences with the full force of the law and taking firm legal action to protect Bahrain’s security and stability.
