A court in Bahrain has sentenced five Shi’ites convicted of spying for Iran to life imprisonment, while also revoking their citizenship.
The verdict comes amid escalated tensions between Bahrain and Iran.
Public Prosecutor Ahmed al-Hammadi said on November 5 that the five had communicated with members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps with the aim of carrying out attacks on public buildings.
On November 4, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said it had arrested 47 members of a group thought to have links to "terrorist elements in Iran."
It said the arrests had foiled plans for imminent attacks in the kingdom.
Sunni-ruled Bahrain is a Shi'ite-majority country that has been hit by unrest since a pro-democracy uprising in February 2011.
Bahrain's Sunni leaders have repeatedly accused Iran of meddling in Bahrain's internal affairs.
Iran denies the accusations and has criticized the arrests of Shi'ite opposition figures and activists in Bahrain.
