Explosives used in Sitra similar to seized in smuggling attempt

Preliminary details indicate that the explosives used in the terror attack in Sitra this morning are of the same type that smugglers have recently attempted to sneak from Iran into the Kingdom, according to the Bahraini Ministry of Interior.

The Ministry of Interior on July 25 said a joint counter-terrorism operation involving Bahraini security authorities thwarted an attempt to smuggle a lethal mix of materials, including 43.8 kg of the powerful explosive C4, eight automatic assault rifles (Kalashnikov), 32 Kalashnikov magazines, and ammunition and detonators into Bahrain.

The ministry said that on July 15, the Bahrain Coast Guard, in coordination with the Police Aviation Unit and Bahrain Royal Naval Force, intercepted a vessel heading towards Bahrain after meeting another vessel just outside Bahrain's territorial waters.

Initial inquiries showed that one of the two suspects arrested in the operation had received military training in Iran in August 2013. The training included the manufacturing and use of explosive ordinance and improvised explosive devices, as well as firearms training at an Iranian Revolutionary Guards' camp.

The suspects who admitted receiving the shipment from Iranian handlers outside Bahrain’s territorial waters had been provided with funds for smuggling operations.

One of the suspects had been recruited by a Bahraini citizen, currently a fugitive in Iran, who is said to have facilitated travel, financing and training.

The arrested have admitted their involvement in two previous smuggling attempts that took place in 2013 and 2014.