Manama: Bahrain’s court of appeals on Sunday slashed a jail term against six Bahrainis tried on the charge of being members of a terror cell from 15 to 10 years.
A lower court last year sentenced the six, known in the local media as the Qatar Cell in reference to the country where they were arrested, after it found them guilty of plotting to carry out acts of terrorism in the kingdom.
Two of the eight accused put on trial for their suspected terrorist activities were released by the high criminal court.
Manama in November 2011 said that the alleged terror cell, uncovered by Qatar, had plotted to target the Saudi Arabian embassy in Manama, the building of the interior ministry and the 25km-long King Fahad Causeway linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
According to the interior ministry, Qatar relayed the information on the arrest of the four Bahrainis who had driven into Qatar through Saudi Arabia.
Sensitive security information
Qatari authorities said they had seized documents and a laptop containing sensitive security information and details of vital establishments in Bahrain, as well as the suspects’ airline bookings to Syria.
Also seized were unspecified sums of foreign currency, including US dollars and Iranian rials.
Bahrain’s authorities said the four defendants also provided details about other people involved in the cell.
On interrogation, they admitted that they had left Bahrain and were told to head to Iran through Qatar and Syria and set up an organisation that would carry out acts of terror in Bahrain.
Three of the eight members were tried in absentia.
