Jul 9, 2018

Bahrain's top Shiite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim left Manama for treatment in London on Monday following a deterioration in his health, his aides said.

The ayatollah, in his late 70s, was stripped of his Bahraini nationality in 2016 on charges of "serving foreign interests".

Qassim was allowed to fly out of the country using a temporary passport -- valid for one year -- issued on the orders of Bahrain's king, the aides said.

Bahrain's foreign minister tweeted Friday that the country's monarch had ordered the "facilitation of travel" for the cleric to seek treatment abroad.

The Bahraini king also offered to cover the cost of "any treatment required", the minister added.