Fresh details have emerged of a Bahrain-based terror cell whose members allegedly spied for a foreign country, received military training and maintained direct links with individuals in Iran.
The Interior Ministry on Saturday said 41 suspects had been arrested in connection with the group, which is linked to Wilayat Al Faqih and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Authorities yesterday identified 11 more individuals based in Tehran who allegedly acted as a key communication link between operatives in Bahrain and their handlers in Iran.
According to the ministry, the cell was formed by members of the dissolved Islamic Scholars Council and their followers.
It said the group established and led a terrorist network, financed terrorism, engaged in espionage activities for Iran and organisations in Iraq and Lebanon, and received military training for those purposes.
A video released by the ministry yesterday showed cash piles, yellow flags associated with Hizbollah, electronic devices and literature seized during the operation.
Furthermore, the ministry released photographs of the 41 individuals arrested, as well as the 11 people in Iran, including a photograph of cleric Shaikh Isa Qassim.
“The group’s members practised organised terrorism against members of the Shia community in Bahrain, misleading them and carrying out activities under a cover of secrecy,” the statement said.
“These activities included infiltrating several religious, social, charitable and educational institutions, such as kindergartens, schools and religious seminaries, as well as key areas of community work.
“This was aimed at promoting loyalty to foreign entities, specifically the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Wilayat Al Faqih, fostering hostility towards the State, and encouraging disregard for its laws at the expense of national loyalty, while undermining the national will of members of the Shia community in Bahrain.”
The ministry said the group sought to control and politicise sermons delivered by clerics and religious chanters in mosques, community centres (ma’atams) and during religious occasions, relying on intimidation of those in-charge such activities.
“They also committed crimes, including terrorising citizens, collecting funds for unlawful purposes and engaging in activities that violate the law, thereby harming community security and civil peace. They received funds from agents of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran to finance terrorism in Bahrain.”
The Interior Ministry affirmed that all monitoring and follow-up measures were undertaken to protect Bahrain’s security and preserve the safety of society across all segments.
It stressed that it will continue to confront any threats to the nation’s security and stability, and act against attempts to undermine civil peace, spread sedition or create division within Bahraini society.
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