Manama: Bahrain has denied reports that it had arrested a foreigner for trying to smuggle large funds into the country.

“No one has been detained for a financial case and reports to that effect are completely false, the Acting General Director of Anti-Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security in the Ministry of Interior (MOI) has said.

According to the official, an American national has approached a customs officer at the Bahrain International Airport and said he was carrying $11 million.

Following the appropriate customs procedures, the US national submitted the proper paperwork for the cash that turned out to be for US Navy salaries of servicemen in Bahrain and the Gulf, the Bahraini official said.

The money was turned over to the US Navy command after authorities confirmed the legality of the transfer, the official said.