- Title: BAHRAIN: Bahrain arrests men suspected of storing tons of explosives
- Date: 31st July 2012
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) BAHRAIN'S PUBLIC SECURITY CHIEF, TARIQ AL-HASSAN, SAYING: "We thank God that we managed to track and confiscate the factory and the material which could have created a great disaster. So this, with God's help, has been successful and the work continues to examine them according to legal measures."
- Embargoed: 15th August 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Bahrain
- Country: Bahrain
- Topics: Crime
- Reuters ID: LVADLX0CWRTSC3JY4PSY9FY3EFCH
- Story Text: Police are acting within the law and are following correct procedures stressed the Gulf Arab state's public security chief on Tuesday (July 31) as he announced arrests made in relation to last month's report that Bahrain had seized large quantities of materials used to make explosives.
This comes as Bahrain's crown prince has ordered police to exercise restraint in dealing with protesters and to avoid sectarian discrimination, as opposition activists accuse the Gulf Arab state of cracking down on pro-democracy protests.
Public Security chief Tariq al-Hassan reported in June that more than five tons of materials had been seized at several sites described as "terrorist dens" by the state news agency on June 7.
Pictures of an array of chemicals, wires and plastic pipes were shown on a television screen during the news conference as Hassan warned of the potential damage that could have been caused.
"The quantity is huge as I previously mentioned, and the material is more then five tons. This material confiscated was aimed at causing large scale explosions and was a great threat to all. Experts of this field have confirmed the great threat the explosives posed," the security chief told journalists.
Tariq al-Hassan went on to say that Bahraini police had reached out for the expertise of Scotland Yard police during investigations.
"In this case we had received help from external international expertise, such as Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom. We have about 1000 pieces of evidence that identified the type of material confiscated and what it could have been used for," he said.
Hassan said some arrests had been made in relation to the case, displaying the photos of two men.
With police under scrutiny for possible widespread human rights violations during last year's crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising, Hassan stressed that legal measures were strictly followed.
"We thank God that we managed to track and confiscate the factory and the material which could have created a great disaster. So this, with God's help, has been successful and the work continues to examine them according to legal measures," he said, adding: "All the measures taken are legal, with warrants issued by the public prosecutors and the courts, whether it is an arrest or an investigation of anyone, it is all done in a transparent and legal manner."
Bahrain crushed an uprising led by majority Shi'ites last year after successful revolts in Egypt and Tunisia, but unrest has continued with marches and rallies that sometimes result in clashes between police and Shi'ite youths.
Since June the government - pressed by Washington to resolve the political dispute - has banned a number of marches by leading opposition party Wefaq, saying they block traffic and lead to violence.
But the opposition says it is an attempt by the Sunni ruling Al Khalifa family to crush all forms of street protest and accuses police of stepping up the use of shotgun pellet and raids on houses to stop all dissent.
A rights investigation led by a team of international legal experts uncovered widespread abuse during last year's crackdown in a report published in November, prompting government promises to institute a range of reforms.
The Interior Ministry said last week it had ordered an investigation into allegations of abuse by police officers. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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