Manama sentences 2 to death, jails 56 others for terror

By Ahmed al-Masri

DOHA, Qatar (AA) - A Bahraini court Wednesday sentenced two people to death and slapped 56 others with hefty jail terms for terrorist activity, according to the official Bahrain News Agency.

Of those imprisoned, 19 were sentenced to life behind bars, 17 to 15 years each, nine to 10 years each and 11 to five years each, the news agency quoted Bahraini Chief Prosecutor Hamad Shaheen as saying.

They were convicted on a raft of charges, including membership in a terrorist cell, attempting to murder policemen and possessing unlicensed firearms and explosives.

They had also been charged with involvement in a dramatic jailbreak one year ago in which 10 inmates escaped from Bahrain’s Jaw Prison in an incident that left a policeman dead.

Two of the defendants in the case, meanwhile, were acquitted of any wrongdoing, Shaheen said.