Trial of Several Individuals in the UAE and Bahrain on Charges of 'Connection with Iran and Hezbollah'

Several separate courts in the United Arab Emirates have begun proceedings against three individuals accused of links to Hezbollah in Lebanon and 23 accused of cooperating with Al-Qaeda. Meanwhile, Bahrain has charged 11 individuals with 'forming a terrorist group' and claims they have connections with Iran. The Emirati newspaper Al-Youm reported on Tuesday, February 20, that three Lebanese individuals are being tried for 'forming and managing a group without permission and linked to Hezbollah.' The newspaper Al-Ittihad also reported that one of these three individuals holds Canadian citizenship, and their lawyers have denied the charges. In March 2015, the Lebanese government stated that 70 of its citizens in the UAE, mostly Shia, faced the risk of being returned to Lebanon. According to AFP, the UAE repatriated dozens of Shia Lebanese suspected of ties to Hezbollah in 2009. Additionally, 23 individuals, mostly Yemenis, are being tried in the UAE for alleged cooperation with Al-Qaeda. This summer, the UAE executed an Emirati jihadist for the murder of an American school teacher in Abu Dhabi. Bahrain has also announced that it has charged 11 individuals, including one who was trained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah in Iraq, with 'forming a terrorist group.' Four of these individuals are fugitives. Ahmed Al-Hamadi, the Attorney General of Bahrain, stated that explosives and weapons were discovered from this group and they have received terrorist training. According to Mr. Al-Hamadi, four of the suspects were trained in the educational institutions of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iraqi group associated with it (Hezbollah). Bahrain is among the Gulf Arab countries that have consistently accused Iran of inciting its Shia majority and attempting to carry out terrorist operations in the country. Sunni-majority countries in the region, led by Saudi Arabia, have accused Iran of interfering in their internal affairs and destabilizing their security conditions for several years. Iran has consistently denied these accusations, stating that it seeks friendly relations with regional countries. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani recently urged regional countries to 'consider their interests, as Iran does not seek to be the dominant power in the region.' Mr. Rouhani also warned countries that 'did not observe good neighborliness' that if they continue their 'misbehavior,' the Islamic Republic would take 'decisive action' against them and that 'if necessary, they would be punished.'