MANAMA: The Kingdom of Bahrain has unearthed major terrorist network and arrested number of alleged masterminded terrorists. The authorities also confiscated arms and ammunition caches and averted a possibly major attack of magnitude of causing havoc in a radius of 600 meters, says Police Chief.
The details of the major security operation were released by Bahrain’s Chief of Public Security, Major-General Tariq bin Hassan Al Hassan who highlighted the features of the Kingdom’s recent security operation “The Axe”.
The confiscated ammunition includes ready-to-use bomb containing high-grade C4; ready-to-use anti-personnel bomb and partly developed bomb materials; explosive penetrator; locally-made tasers and electronic circuits; scale to measure explosives; diagrams on bomb-making; ammunition and mobile phones, remote controls and batteries.
The Police Chief revealed that the evidence and intelligence gathered during the investigation linked cell members to a series of recent attacks and terrorist plots, including a terror blast in Abu Saiba on 4 February 2017, in which a police patrol was targeted and two civilian cars in the vicinity were damaged; terror blast in Sanabis, in which a female driver was injured and grenade attack on security forces in Samaheej on 7 April 2017.
Two terrorist cells were identified and arrested over the course of the operation. Alleged terrorist suspects in the first cell were Sayed Ahmed Mahdi Kadhem, 20 and Isa Hassan Isa Ali, 20; Ali Dawood Ahmed Dawood Al Aradi and Hassan Shakir Hassan Ali, 21; Maitham Ali Hassan Ali Hassan, 20.
According to the details, the members of the second cell included two convicted terrorists known to have targeted security forces were Abdullah Abdulmahdi Hassan Al Aradi, 24 and Loay Hani Saood Hussain Al Muamen, 19. The investigation revealed that the two cells are linked to a known convicted terrorist and fugitive Hussain Ali Ahmed Dawood, 31, based in Iran.
Hussain Ali Ahmed Dawood was sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in three separate cases. He has close connections to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Murtadha Al Sindi, and receives support by Salman Ali Salman Ali Ibrahim, 26, convicted for bomb making and possession of illegal explosives; Ahmed Abdulmahdi Hassan Al Aradi, 22, convicted for security disturbance case, attacks against police patrols and arson and Yasser Ahmed Habib Ibrahim, 31, convicted in cases related to arson and attacks against police patrols.
An investigation is ongoing into the group’s links to other terrorist cells operating in the Kingdom. The Interior Ministry calls on members of the public to report any suspicious activity by calling the community hotline 80008008.