The first hearing of the Bahrain ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria) cell case trial revealed that the main suspect in the cell is the ISIS theorist and preacher, Turki Al-Binali, in addition to three of his brothers, mainly Abdullah Al-Binali. The hearing further unveiled that the security forces confiscated weapons which one of the cell members had possession of. It was concluded that the cell was plotting to target Shia citizens, who represent the country's majority, by a bomb blast at the Grand Aa'li Mosque.
The Fourth High Criminal Court, presided over by judge Mohammad bin Ali Al Khalifa, had put 24 defendants, between ages of 16 and 42, on trial, particularly ISIS preacher Al-Binali.
The court adjourned on Tuesday (December 22, 2015) the trial until January 5, 2015. The local Al-Wasat newspaper said that seven defendants attended court.
The head of the Terrorist Crimes Prosecution, Attorney-General Ahmad Al-Hammadi, said that investigations into the case of forming a terrorist organization branch (known as ISIS) has been concluded. He added that the prosecution referred 24 suspects to a specialized court, including 8 detained defendants and 16 fugitives. The prosecution accused them of forming a terrorist group organization and promoting the overthrow and change of the political regime by force and threats.
The court accused the first defendant (who is outside Bahrain) of forming and establishing an organization branch aimed at breaching the provisions of the constitution and law, preventing state institutions and authorities from practicing their duties, assaulting public freedoms and rights guaranteed by the constitution and law, and harming national unity. It also stated that terrorism was one of the means used to accomplish these aims, as the defendant formed a terrorist ISIS branch inside the Kingdom of Bahrain and managed to, with the aid of his brothers (the second and third defendants), recruit the rest of the suspects and join them in the cell as well as teach them the groups principles and purposes which are based on declaring the ruling regime an apostate authority and overthrowing it by force.
One of the witnesses said that the fourteenth suspect contacted the fifth defendant and ordered him to carry out a terrorist operation inside Bahrain since he wasn't able to provide him with money to travel and fight Syria. The plot was to launch a terrorist attack on the Grand A'ali Mosque for the purpose of killing the largest number possible of Shiite citizens. Other suspects were aware of the attack and agreed to it.
The Public Prosecution stated that the confiscated electrical devices that the second suspect had possession of contained a pledge of allegiance to the ISIS leader Abu Baker Al-Baghdadi, a number of e-books written by the first suspect and other Takfiri books, a number of pictures of ISIS militants holding weapons in different places, audio recordings about the organization and videos showing fighting, including some showing the first defendant.
One of the videos entitled "A Message to the People of Bahrain" shows the 22nd defendant declaring the Bahraini king and government members apostates and warning Muslims of working in the security forces since they are accomplices of disbelief.
The fourth suspect who was shown in the same video called for traveling to Syria and Iraq to fight in the ranks of ISIS.
It was also revealed that 11 of the defendants on trial were among the Bahrainis who were stripped of their nationalities.
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