Iranian unmanned aircraft reported in Bahrain

Manama: The interior ministry has reported that an Iranian unmanned aircraft “had been discovered in the northern part of Bahrain, near Saudi Arabia”.

No further details were given in the ministry statement issued late on Tuesday evening, but the interior minister Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa was quoted as saying that Iran’s “continual spying efforts including the recruitment of supporters are blatant interference in the internal affairs of the countries in the region”. “As a result, greater vigilance is required in order to maintain the security and stability of all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries,” Shaikh Rashid said. “This requires a joint stance and wider cooperation and coordination between security authorities in the countries in the region as well as with friendly countries to face these threats.”

In the statement, the minister expressed “great appreciation of the investigative efforts in Saudi Arabia that identified a spy ring working for the Iranian intelligence”. “The minister condemned Iran’s interference in the internal affairs of countries such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.”

Manama had discovered a terror cell whose members had been linked to Iran and had been trained in the use of weapons and explosives to attack vital locations and public figures, the statement said.