Asharq Al Awsat

Security authorities in Bahrain arrested on Saturday 116 members of an armed network established and supported by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, suspected of plotting attacks on Bahraini government officials and security forces.

The interior ministry in Bahrain said in a statement that investigators found sites used by the militants to manufacture and store explosives intended to be used for “terrorist attacks”.

The individuals arrested are suspected of a range of terror crimes, including planning and executing terror attacks as well as manufacturing, storing and transporting explosive devices.

“Comprehensive investigations revealed the suspected terrorists were members of a network formed and supported by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC),” the Bahraini ministry statement said.

“The network was planning to target Bahraini officials, members of the security authorities and vital oil installations, with the objective of disturbing public security and harming the national economy,” it said.

The statement said that 48 of the 116 people arrested had received training at IRGC facilities in Iran and their affiliated locations in Iraq and Lebanon.

The items found included explosives materials, automatic weapons, pistols and magnetic bombs and grenades, the statement said.

The investigations also led to the discovery of a number of sites used to manufacture and store explosives intended to be used for terrorist attacks.

The General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science has referred the case to the Public Prosecutor.