Manama: Kuwaiti media on Monday said that Kuwait was the Gulf country that helped foil a terror plot in Bahrain last week.
On Saturday, Bahrain’s interior minister Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said the authorities arrested a cell of eight terrorists who received training in using weapons and explosives. The cell had connections with Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.
“These arrests were made with the cooperation of a fellow brotherly country,” he said. “The eight individuals obtained training in weapons and explosives and also received funding from outside Bahrain,” the minister said during an address on Bahrain TV.
Kuwaiti daily Al Jareeda quoting sources it did not name said Kuwait was the country mentioned by Shaikh Rashid.
Another Kuwaiti daily Al Anba, quoting senior security sources said that “Kuwait and Bahrain were coordinating their efforts and that high-level security channels were open between Manama and Kuwait City following the busting of a terrorist cell by Bahraini authorities”.
However, the sources could not confirm or deny claims that Kuwaiti nationals were involved in the cell.
“The investigations are continuing and we are at this stage dealing with leaks to the media that may not be accurate,” the source said. “Bahrain and Kuwait are exchanging notes on the case for the sake of security in both countries.”
In Manama, Tariq Al Hassan, the head of public security, said that details about the busted cell would be announced on Tuesday.
Two deaths, scores of injuries, explosions and clashes have marred the end of the week for Bahrainis as anti-government protesters marked the second anniversary of the February 14 demonstrations.
Thousands of mourners, including the interior and justice minister, on Sunday attended the funeral of Mohammad Asif Khan, the policeman who was shot and killed by rioters on Thursday evening.
His mother and two of his brothers flew in from Pakistan for the funeral of the 23-year-old man killed by a projectile fired in the Manama suburb of Sehla.
He was buried one day after thousands of people attended the funeral of Hussain Al Jaziri, 16, who was killed in a morning clash with police in the nearby suburb of Daih.
Two policemen were subsequently referred to an investigation committee set up to look into the incident.
On Sunday afternoon, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated near a shopping mall off a major highway northwest of Manama. No one was injured in the attack reportedly targeting security forces in the area.
“Rioters blocked roads and committed acts of vandalism,” the interior ministry said on its Twitter account. “The police restored order.”
Despite the tense situation engulfing the country, none of the societies taking part in a multi-lateral national dialogue has formally said that it was pulling out of the talks.
The dialogue was launched on February 10 to help find a way out of a frustrating political deadlock that has gripped the nation for almost two years following deep divergences over the events that unfolded in February 2011.
“We are still discussing the merit of continuing the dialogue,” Ahmad Juma, the spokesperson for a coalition of ten political societies, said. “We will look at all the options when we meet again on Tuesday,” he said at the end of a meeting on Sunday evening to consult on the latest developments in the country.
The third session of the dialogue attended by 27 participants, including politicians, parliamentarians and government ministers, is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
