Bahrain sentences nine to life over alleged Iran Revolutionary Guard links

Bahrain's criminal court has sentenced nine defendants to life imprisonment and two others to three years in prison in two separate cases involving alleged links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The head of Bahrain’s Terror Crimes Prosecution said the 11 defendants were convicted of communicating with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard with the intent to carry out hostile and terrorist acts against the kingdom and harm its national interests.

Authorities said the cases involved the alleged recruitment of individuals in Bahrain to monitor, photograph and collect information on sensitive and vital facilities before passing the information to operatives linked to the IRGC.

Prosecutors said one suspect, who remains at large, had recruited individuals inside Bahrain and coordinated financial transfers through bank accounts and cryptocurrency-related activities involving Iran to finance the alleged operations.

In the second case, prosecutors accused another fugitive suspect of recruiting local individuals to carry out surveillance and gather intelligence on strategic facilities in Bahrain.

The court also ordered the confiscation of seized items linked to the investigations.

Bahrain’s Public Prosecution said investigations included forensic examinations of electronic devices and witness testimony, adding that the defendants had been granted legal representation throughout court proceedings before the rulings were issued.