Bahraini Public Prosecution referred the case of the dissolved al-Wefaq Association Sec-Gen Ali Salman and two others to the High Criminal Court on charges of intelligence connections with Qatar with the purpose of overthrowing the Bahraini regime.
The suspects, coordinated their intelligence ties with Qatar, carried out hostile activities against the Kingdom’s national interest and tasked a communications officer to contact Qatari officials.
Salman and the two other suspects, Hasan al-Sultan and Ali al-Aswad, were charged with establishing foreign intelligence links to commit subversive acts against Bahrain and undermine its political, economic position and national interest, announced Advocate General in the Public Prosecution, Ahmed al-Hammadi.
Qatar’s involvement in the activities aimed to undermine Arab countries, especially Bahrain, evidenced by the Qatari media’s hostile campaign against the kingdom and communicating with anti-state elements, including the suspects in this case.
The charges also included revealing national defense secrets to a foreign country and receiving financial sums from a foreign country to supply it with military secrets and information pertaining to Bahrain’s internal affairs. They deliberately spread false rumors aimed at weakening the financial confidence in Bahrain to damage its national sovereignty and financial reputation abroad.
Investigations confirmed the validity of these charges and revealed recorded phone conversations between Ali Salman and Hasan al-Sultan and Qatari officials. The two sides agreed to carry out hostile activities to undermine Bahrain’s status and conveyed information about military mobilizations in Bahrain during the 2011 crisis.
The suspects conducted several interviews through the Qatari media spreading false stories and rumors about Bahrain's internal situation aimed to spread strife, jeopardize Bahrain’s military, political and economic position, and to tarnish its reputation abroad.
The suspects, as part of their agreement with Doha, provided Qatar with secret information about the mobilizations of Bahrain Defense Force, National Guard, Public Security, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’s Peninsula Shield Joint Force.
The Prosecution ordered the arrest of both fugitives Hasan al-Sultan and Ali al-Aswad, ahead of referring them to the High Criminal Court.
