MANAMA, 14 September 2004 — A Bahraini Islamist suspected of plotting attacks in the kingdom was back in police custody yesterday after a brief escape from a court following a judge’s decision to extend his detention.
Yasser Kamal and three other suspects who were ordered held another month could be heard yelling from a room adjoining the main courtroom after being informed of the judge’s decision. Seconds later, Kamal tore through the courtroom chased by police and subsequently fled the building.
Kamal’s lawyer Abdullah Hashim, however, said that his client had never intended to escape and soon returned to a police station on his own accord.
The three other suspects present in court were Bassam Al-Ali, Mohieddin Mahmud Khan and Bassam Abdullah Bukhwa.
Two other suspects — Mohammed Saleh Ali Mohammed and Kamal’s brother Omar Abdullah Kamal — were released on Saturday.
The suspects are accused of links to the Al-Qaeda terror network and of allegedly plotting attacks in Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
On July 2, Washington issued a terror alert in Bahrain, home to some 5,000 Americans.
