SECURITY services are investigating two separate explosions in the last 48 hours, believed to have been caused by Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).
On Monday, a man was killed by a bomb blast in a farm in Al Hajar.
Sources told the GDN that injuries sustained by the Bahraini national, identified as Nabeel Al Sameea from Sanabis, was consistent with that of an IED detonation.
It was still unclear how the explosion happened.
However, an extremist opposition group, calling itself the Revolutionary Struggle Organisation, yesterday posted a picture of Mr Al Sameea and said he died in a “jihadi mission”.
Earlier, policeman Abdulsamad Al Haji was killed and two other officers were injured in a terrorist bombing targeting a police patrol in Duraz.
“An initial investigation after a body was found in a farm in Al Hajar village on June 19 showed the death was the result of a bomb blast,” said the Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science director general.
“Shortly after the incident was reported, the crime, forensic and other security teams reached the scene to collect evidence and launched an investigation.”
The official added that the investigation was ongoing and the Public Prosecution had been informed.
Mr Al Sameea’s cousin told the GDN that his family was alerted to the incident via a handwritten letter that was delivered to their home.
“We are still waiting to receive his body from authorities as they are conducting their investigations,” he said.
“The family was informed about the death through a handwritten letter that was delivered by a young (Bahraini) man, who gave the letter to Nabeel’s sister and fled from the scene.”
He added that the letter mentioned Mr Al Sameea’s injuries and asked the family to “urgently visit the farm in Al Hajar”.
Meanwhile, there were reports of gunmen firing at security forces in Sanabis on Monday night, but there was no official confirmation from the Interior Ministry.
Experts from an independent British specialist security and risk management firm Le Beck International, which is based in Bahrain, told the GDN yesterday that recent attacks targeting policemen were now involving smaller-scale IEDs and shootings.
“I think the recent attacks should be seen not as isolated but as part of an overall increase since the start of 2017,” said the firm’s regional security analyst Miriam Eps.
“It’s important to mention though that despite the dismantling of more sophisticated operations over the past year, attacks continue to appear relatively unsophisticated, involving smaller-scale homemade IEDs and shootings.”
sandy@gdn.com.bh
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