Bahrain arrests 20 for suspected ‘terrorist’ activity

By Ahmed al-Masri

ISTANBUL (AA) - Bahraini authorities have arrested 20 people suspected of involvement in "terrorist" activity, according to the Bahraini Interior Ministry.

Those arrested included four women who had allegedly provided suspected terrorists with refuge, the ministry said in a Tuesday statement.

According to the ministry, security forces dismantled a number of "terrorist cells" that had been plotting to carry out attacks in the country before escaping to Iran.

One of the suspects, the ministry said, was responsible for killing a police officer late last month, while eight others had allegedly received training in Iran and Iraq on the use of explosives.

Earlier this month, the Bahraini authorities announced that three people had been killed -- and another nine arrested -- in twin security operations, one of which stopped suspected terrorist from fleeing the country.

Early last year, Bahrain severed its diplomatic relations with Tehran in the wake of a mob attack on two Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. The attack followed the execution of a prominent Shia cleric -- Nimr Baqir al-Nimr -- by the Saudi authorities.

Bahrain was rocked by revolt in 2011, when pro-democracy protests erupted in the tiny Gulf state as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings.

The Sunni-led government blames Al-Wefaq, Bahrain’s largest opposition movement, for the upheaval, accusing the Shia party of pursuing an "Iranian agenda".

Al-Wefaq, for its part, denies the allegations, saying it wants to see the establishment of a "constitutional government" in the small Gulf kingdom.