Bahrain accuses prominent opposition leader of spying for Qatar

The Bahraini judiciary yesterday accused imprisoned Shia leader, Sheikh Ali Salman, of communication with Qatar regarding potential future hostile acts in the Kingdom.

The prosecution issued arrest warrants for two more people without specifying whether Salman would be tried in the case.

Salman was arrested in 2014 and was sentenced in July 2015 to four years in jail on charges of incitement to offend a group of people and insulting the interior ministry.

In its statement yesterday, the prosecution said it had summoned Salman and interrogated him over communications he supposedly had with Qatari officials ahead of the demonstrations led by Shia majority in 2011.

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The prosecution accused Salman “of communicating with a foreign state to carry out hostile activities against Bahrain and to damage its military, political and economic position and its national interests”.

Bahrain along with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar in June for allegedly sponsoring terrorism. Charges Doha denies.