Bahrain Mirror: The Director of Legal Affairs at the Bahraini Interior Ministry denied what some newspapers published claiming that the government requested the decriminalization of acts that deceive people into believing there was an explosion and aim at intimidating citizens and breaching security, which is known by the media as "hoax bombs".

The Director of Legal Affairs at the Interior Ministry explained in a statement that "the contrary is true, for the ministry has recommended that the act of planting a hoax bomb should be listed under the terrorism law, and be punishable by a sentence reaching up to 15 years in prison, instead of a more lenient penal code law, which stipulates issuing a minor penalty as detention and /or a fine."

He also pointed out that "the act of planting hoax bombs with an intention of implying the occurrence of a real bomb is incriminated by the virtue of the Penal Code and the Law on Protecting Society from Terrorist Acts."

"Since the penalty is stiffer under the Protecting Society from Terrorist Acts Law, the government has sought the cancellation of the more lenient penalty under the penal code law, so that no one would benefit from the lenient penalty, thus in this case the criminal faces stiffer penalties according to Article 10 of the Protecting Society from Terrorist Acts Law that stipulates (A prison sentence shall be the penalty for everyone who causes an explosion with the aim of terrorizing innocent people whatever may be the type or form of such explosion)" the director further stated.

Arabic Issue