Bahrain makes rare admission of death in intelligence custody as prosecutors investigate

Prosecutors in Bahrain say they have filed criminal charges over the death in custody of a man who the country's National Intelligence Agency had detained.

The criminal case has been registered against an unnamed member of the domestic spy service, authorities said on Thursday.

Even though the victim has not been named, the disclosure comes weeks after Bahrain’s Interior Ministry announced an investigation into the death of Mohamed al-Mousawi, who died in the custody of security services last month.

The incident had sparked protests in Bahrain.

Al-Mousawi was among dozens detained or charged as the Iran war raged. Authorities arrested him on suspicion of spying for Iran, allegations his family denied.

Bahrain’s Public Prosecution Office on Thursday described the charges as "assault resulting in death.” It said investigators reviewed medical records, videos and spoke to witnesses who saw the body.

It did not allege torture or provide details about the individual charged, but said they admitted to the crimes they were accused of and were taken into custody.

Bahrain restored arrest powers to its domestic spy service in 2017.

The island kingdom, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, was pummeled by Iranian attacks for weeks before the ceasefire took hold.

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