25 out of 54 members arrested, weapons cache seized

DUBAI: Bahrain said yesterday that it had arrested 25 suspects accused of involvement in unrest in the kingdom, including a deadly jailbreak. The authorities said they were part of a "terrorist organization" that includes 54 members, some of them fugitives in Iraq and Iran - accused repeatedly by Manama of meddling in its internal affairs.

The alleged members include 10 former inmates who escaped in the Jan 1 storming of Jaw prison, Bahrain's general prosecutor Ahmed Al-Hammadi said in a statement carried by state news agency BNA. One of them was shot dead last month along with two men as they allegedly tried to flee the country by boat. The 25 detainees have been charged with "joining a terrorist organization" and "training on using explosives and firearms to commit terror attacks," Hammadi said.

They are also accused of killing two police, including one during the Jan 1 jailbreak, and the attempted murder of others, as well as importing and possessing explosives and firearms. The suspects were also accused of escaping from jail or helping others to flee and hide. The statement said four suspects denied the charges, while the rest confessed to being guilty. Police found "large quantities of explosives, detonators and hand grenades," in addition to four AK-47 assault rifles and seven pistols, the statement said.

One of the suspected members of the organization lives in Germany and has "arranged travel for members of the organization to Iran and Iraq to train on using explosives and machine guns," Hammadi said. He said the training took place in the bases of Iran's Revolutionary Guards with the aim of "preparing to carry out terrorist crimes inside the country". Twelve fugitives remain in Iran and Iraq, the statement said.

Bahrain in February executed three men convicted in the death of three policemen, including an Emirati officer, in a 2014 bomb attack. Bahrain frequently accuses Iran of being behind bomb attacks targeting security services and fomenting protests. Iran denies interfering in Bahrain, although it acknowledges support for opposition groups seeking greater rights. - Agencies