Bahrain could strip people of their citizenship if they are found to have compromised the kingdom's security during recent attacks by Iran, King Hamad has decreed.
The king has ordered officials to take action against alleged traitors and “consider who deserves Bahraini citizenship and who does not”, official media said.
The potential crackdown is part of a wider postwar review to be led by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Like other Gulf states, Bahrain faced weeks-long drone and missile attacks by Iran that tested its defences and economy.
A total of 194 Iranian missiles and 523 drones were destroyed, Bahrain's military said, with targets including water and aluminium plants. The review will involve “developing appropriate programmes to address any shortcomings that have been identified, whether defensive or economic”, the Bahrain News Agency said.
Officials were also told to “take the necessary measures against those who have dared to betray the homeland, or to compromise its security and stability”, and to “consider who deserves Bahraini citizenship and who does not, so that the necessary procedures can be applied to them”.
Bahrain – home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet – has already taken action against more than a dozen people with alleged links to Iran or Hezbollah. Fourteen people were charged last month with spying for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The accusations included receiving funds from Iran, leaking state secrets, and, in one case, receiving military training at IRGC camps. In a separate case, three people were accused of collecting funds under the guise of charitable work but transferring them to support Hezbollah.
Like other affected countries, Bahrain also warned residents not to share images of Iranian attacks.
Six people last month had their Kuwaiti citizenship stripped over similar allegations of working with Hezbollah. Kuwait revoked the citizenship of almost 50,000 people last year in a sweeping review of nationality files.
