Bahrain charges 2 opposition leaders of spying for Qatar

CAIRO – 2 November 2017: Bahrain’s public prosecutor charged on Wednesday the president of the Al-Wefaq banned opposition party, Ali Salman, and another leader of the party, Hassan Sultan, of spying for Qatar.

Salman and Sultan were ordered to be taken into custody following charges of spying for Qatar, as recorded calls between the two leaders and Qatari officials were proven true, according to BBC Arabic.

Statements from the Bahraini public prosecutor also stated that Qatar carries out acts that target Bahrain and a number of Arab countries, in addition to recruiting Qatari media to incite the people against the Bahraini regime. Salman and Sultan were also accused of contacting elements that antagonize the state, according to a statement on Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

The defendants were also accused of inciting the opposition against the authorities through the use of force, violence and terror acts, according to BNA. “The defendants received financial support to carry out acts that harm national interest.”

On June 5, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic ties with Qatar over accusations of sponsoring terrorist groups. The quartet demanded that Doha halts funding to terrorists in the region and meets a list of 13 demands the quartet have earlier outlined, in order for dialogue to begin.