SeeAndSay News, 1 August 2015
Independent rights activist Salman Naser told the GDN that the real threat to Bahrain did not come from external forces, but was instead the fault of those already inside the country who continue to maim and kill police officers without remorse.
His comments follow the terror attack in Sitra on Tuesday, which left two officers dead and six wounded – one severely.
“Authorities have said that the explosives used in the Sitra blast were similar to the ones police seized previously, which had links to Iran,” said Mr. Naser.
A report released last month by the Bahrain Embassy in Washington, titled ‘Interior Ministry: Ongoing Reforms and Developments’, highlighted Iran’s interference in local affairs.
The report stated that weapons and IEDs seized in Bahrain bore striking similarities to those used by Iranian proxies in Iraq and Afghanistan, indicating a transfer of technology and information from Iran.
On Wednesday, Public Security chief Major General Tariq Al Hassan announced the arrest of several suspects in connection with the previous day’s deadly blast in Sitra.
He later issued a statement outlining forensic evidence that revealed that the high-grade explosives used in the attack were of the same type as the ones Iranian-backed smugglers had recently attempted to bring into the country.
On July 15, a vessel carrying 44kg of explosives, eight automatic assault rifles, 32 ammunition magazines and a number of detonators was seized off the coast of Bahrain in a joint operation co-ordinated between the Interior Ministry, Coastguard, Police Aviation Unit and Royal Bahrain Naval Force.
