MUN student charged with attempted murder released on bail, again

An International student at Memorial University of Newfoundland charged with attempted murder has been granted bail on a new charge following a week-long hearing.

Masih Allahbakhshi, 29, is accused of trying to poison the same man he's charged with attempting to later kill.

On April 7, 2017, Allahbakhshi allegedly pushed a man he was with over a trail on Signal Hill.

CBC News was told that both of them fell over the edge, dropping about three metres.

The new charge against Allahbakhshi says that four days earlier, on April 3, he administered a "noxious thing" — in this case, prescription drugs — to the same man with the intent "to endanger" the man's life or "cause bodily harm."

Because of a publication ban, CBC cannot report why provincial court Judge Lori Marshall agreed to release Allahabakhshi on bail.

But she added the condition that he "not be employed/volunteer in any capacity in the preparation/service of food/beverage for consumption by the public."

Allahbakhshi, who is from Iran, was studying engineering at Memorial University at the time of both alleged offences, but was banned from the St. John's campus following the attempted murder charge.

He was arrested in April on that charge, and released the following month on $8,000 bail, ordered to report to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary three times a week, and to surrender his passport.

On the new charge, he had to post an additional $2,500 bail.

Allahbakhshi is slated to stand trial on the attempted murder charge February 12.

It isn't known yet if he will go on trial for the poisoning charge at the same time, or if it will be set for a different date.