Bahrain’s Interior Minister accuses Iran of harbouring terrorism
Manama, October 20: Many countries including the United States, the UAE, Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of harbouring terrorism to which Tehran refuses. But this time, Bahrain has accused Iran of harbouring terrorism and terrorists. Notably, Bahrain has claimed that Iran harbours 160 suspects wanted by Bahrain for participating in terrorist activities that have threatened the security and safety of the country.
Bahrain’s Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa on Wednesday while talking to media said that Iran harbours 160 suspects wanted by Bahrain for participating in terrorist activities that have threatened the security and safety of the country.
Minister Al Khalifa also claimed that Bahrain has revoked the citizenship of those terrorists who have been sheltered by Iran and has issued sentences against them in cases linked to the martyrdom of 25 Bahraini security officials and the severe injury of more than 3,000 others.
He further claimed of having concrete evidence against Iran that Tehran has shipped 24 kilograms of explosive materials to Bahrain and it logistically and financially supported terrorist members to carry out terrorist acts against Bahrain and its people. He further noted that there is a direct relationship between Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and terrorist activities in Bahrain.
Al Khalifa said, “Bahrain faced the threat of terrorism and was able to foil many terrorist acts. Physical evidence and strategic information proved the involvement of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in training terrorist members in Iranian camps on the use of explosives and automatic rifles and contributing to the smuggling of those weapons to Bahrain.”
He added that some arrested suspects have already admitted into being trained on the use of weapons in the military camps run by the Revolutionary Guards and that their ages range between 20 and 40. However, in the end, the Bahraini minister praised the US strategy and said that in general, it undoubtedly restored international peace and security and in specific, it protected the regional security of Arab Gulf states.
Interestingly, few weeks before, a 54-member terrorist organization involved in prison breaks and attacks on security forces was uncovered by Bahrain. Later, 25 members of that group were arrested, while the others were able to vanish.Bahrain regularly accuses Iran supporting terrorist attacks against security forces in the country.
Bahrain in 2015 recalled its ambassador from Iran over these charges, which Iran denies. Bahrain became the first Arab country to blacklist Iranian-backed Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in the year 2013.