Manama: Bahrain is putting 24 people suspected of ties with the terror group Daesh on trial on December 22.

The investigations into the case of setting up an offshoot of the Daesh terror group have been completed, and 24 suspects, including eight in custody, have been referred to court, Advocate General and Chief of Terror Crimes Prosecution Ahmad Al Hammadi said.

Charges leveled against the suspects included setting up an offshoot of a terror group, possessing weapons, engaging in training on the use of weapons and explosives with the aim of using them for terrorist purposes and calling for the change of the state’s political regime by force, he added on Wednesday evening.

The case was launched after the Public Prosecution in February received a report from the General Directorate of Criminal Investigations and Forensic Evidence saying that investigations revealed that one suspect had recruited two other suspects to join the Daesh terrorist group.

“The first suspect arranged for the second suspect to travel to Syria to receive military training provided by the group’s members there,” he said. “He tasked the second and third suspects with recruiting more elements and to facilitate their travel to Syria to join the terrorist group. Many of the recruited suspects participated in the fighting by the group outside Bahrain. The suspects also used social networks to influence others to join their terrorist group,” Al Hammadi said.

Investigations also revealed that a group of the same group in Bahrain planned to carry out suicide attacks against houses of worship in Bahrain, similar to the suicide attacks carried out by the group in neighbouring countries, he added.

“Eight suspects have been arrested and referred to the Public Prosecution, which in turn launched its probe and asked to remand them in custody pending further investigations,” he said. “The prosecution in its decision relied on the testimonies of the witnesses, the confessions of some of the suspects, and the material evidence seized with the suspects, and which included white arms, fire ammunitions, and books promoting extremist ideologies.”