Hugh Tomlinson, Dubai and David Brown
Last updated September 15 2010 12:01AM

A Bahraini man living in London accused of masterminding a coup against the Gulf state’s royal family may seek political asylum in Britain because he fears being tortured if he returns home.
Husain Mshaima, a critic of the ruling Sunni elite in Bahrain, which has requested his extradition, said that the coup allegation was a cover for a brutal crackdown on Shia opposition groups before next month’s parliamentary elections.
“This is shameful just before the election. They want to stop any opposition activities. No one can voice an opinion. The people are like slaves,” he said.
Mr Mshaima, 62, has been in London since July receiving treatment for cancer. In August Bahraini security forces began rounding up opposition figures. Bahrain announced last week that it had broken a 23-man terrorist network that was plotting to overthrow the Government.
Mr Mshaima and Saeed al-Shehabi, a political refugee with dual citizenship, are accused of providing financial and logistical support for the rebels from London. Both men deny the charges.
Mr Mshaima said that he was offered thousands of pounds by Bahraini diplomats in London to halt his campaign for democratic reform. “When I refused the money . . . they started saying I’m a terrorist,” he said.
Bahrain has held preliminary talks with the British Government, which has no extradition treaty with the Gulf state, about the men. The Gulf Co-operation Council called on Britain to expel them.
Human Rights Watch has reported allegations that several men detained in Bahrain have been tortured. Mr Mshaima believes he will suffer the same fate if he returns. “I want to go back to my country but I can’t talk there . . . I am an opposition leader. They can’t keep me silent when they are torturing our citizens,” he said.
Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, said that there was evidence that the men in London were directly involved with the plot. He denied the allegations of torture.
An official request to extradite the men will be awkward for the British Government, which has identified the Gulf as a lucrative market for business interests.

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Posters of detainees hang on a wall in Malkiya, Bahrain with graffiti saying 'free the innocent people' Hasan Jamali / AP