Bahraini court sentences 4 to life imprisonment over death in 2012 bomb attack

MANAMA, Bahrain—A Bahraini court on Thursday convicted and sentenced four Shiites to life imprisonment over the death of an Asian man in a 2012 bomb attack, according to an attorney for one of the defendants.

The case centred on the death of an Asian man killed in a series of bombings that claimed two lives in the tiny Gulf island nation’s capital, Manama, on Nov. 5, 2012.

Bahrain is a Western ally that is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. It has faced low-level unrest, including street clashes between anti-government protesters and police, since its majority Shiites led large-scale protests against the Sunni monarchy in 2011.

Some radical anti-government factions have at times carried out bombings against government forces, typically using crude homemade explosives.

Defence lawyer Zainab Abdulaziz told The Associated Press that the defendants convicted on Thursday faced charges that included murder, participation in an illegal organization and possession of explosives.

She said she would appeal.

The Asian man’s nationality wasn’t disclosed. Like all Gulf Arab countries, Bahrain has a large community of South Asian expatriate workers.