Bahrain foils terror plot to blow up ATMs

A number of suspects have been arrested, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday

A view of Bahrain’s financial district in the capital city of Manama. Reuters

A plot to bomb two ATMs in Bahrain has been foiled by security forces, the country’s Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

"The concerned security authorities in co-operation with the National Security Agency foiled two terrorist plots of blasting two ATMs of a national bank in Al Naim and Jidhafs areas in the Capital Governorate," the ministry said.

The incident is being treated as an attempted terror attack.

Specialist explosives experts defused two bombs placed at the two locations on Wednesday, the ministry said.

Forensic teams and crime scene investigators then secured the sites and launched a probe, which is still ongoing.

The investigation led to the arrests of a number of suspects, some involved in the planning of the operation and others who took part in placing the devices.

The General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science launched legal proceedings and referred the case to the Public Prosecution.

Al Naim is a historic area in the north-west of the capital, Manama, linked closely with fishing industries. Jidhafs is a town about 3km away to the west.

Bahrain has faced several terrorist attacks in recent years and accuses Iran of supporting hardline cells within its Shiite majority.
While protests are no longer common in Bahrain, authorities continue to uncover weapons shipments destined for terror cells and plots are still uncovered.
In December last year, the US designated the Saraya Al Mukhtar, or Bahrain Islamic Resistance, as a terrorist organisation.