Manama/Abu Dhabi: Several suspects in a bombing in Bahrain that killed two policeman have been identified and some have been arrested, the state news agency BNA said on Wednesday quoting the ministry of interior.
The bomb on Tuesday, which wounded six people, was the deadliest such attack in Bahrain in months.
The ministry of interior did not give further details.
The bombing took place outside a girls' school in the village of Sitra and was the worst since March 2014, when a blast killed three policemen.
State media had said the explosives resembled some seized at the weekend that authorities say were smuggled in from Iran.
Bahrain has long accused Iran of stirring up unrest among its Shiite population and tension between the neighbours has risen in recent days, with Bahrain recalling its ambassador from Tehran on Saturday.
Latest in a series
The blast was the latest in a series of bombings in recent years targeting security forces in the Gulf nation.
The Interior Ministry described the bombing as a “terror blast,” and said it took place in Sitra. One of the wounded officers sustained serious injuries, the ministry said.
The blast occurred just days after Bahraini authorities announced they had broken up an attempt to smuggle assault rifles, ammunition and explosives into the kingdom. The cargo intercepted earlier this month off the country’s coast included nearly 44km of C-4 plastic explosives and detonators. The explosives used in the bombing were similar to those seized, state news agency BNA reported.
“Early information suggests that the explosives used in today’s terrorist attack are of the same type that were recently intercepted coming from Iran,” BNA said. Bahrain said on Saturday it had foiled an arms and explosives smuggling plot by two Bahrainis with ties to Iran, and it recalled its ambassador to Tehran.
UAE condemns the blast
The UAE condemned the blast and called on Iran to stop its ‘blatant interference’ in the internal affairs of Bahrain. In a statement, Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, blamed Iran for stirring sectarian strife in Bahrain. He said he was surprised over Iran’s call to open a new page with its neighbours when it is working to destablise the region.
He emphasised that the remarks and attempts made by the officials in Iran “do not reflect a desire to improve relations or enhance an atmosphere of stability in the region. Instead, these would contribute towards creating tension and igniting sectarian strife through provocative statements which are contrary to all international charters and laws, besides being completely incompatible with the true values of Islam and its tolerant principles.”
