Bahrain smashes 'terrorist cell'

The authorities in Bahrain say they have arrested five men who had been plotting "terrorist acts" in the Gulf kingdom.

A security official quoted by Bahrain's BNA news agency said the group was "targeting the kingdom's national interests and endangering the lives of innocent citizens".

Correspondents say it is the first time Bahrain has announced the arrest of "terrorists" on its soil since the 11 September, 2001 attacks on the United States.

Bahrain, a key Washington ally in the Gulf, is home to the American Fifth Fleet, and hosts about 1,000 US military personnel.

The United States and Britain have massed troops and equipment in the region for a possible military strike on Iraq.

Scores of people joined an anti-war demonstration outside the UN mission in Bahrain on Friday night, the Gulf Daily News web site reported.

U.S. Ally Bahrain Arrests Five Men Allegedly Planning Terror Attacks
The Associated Press
Published: Feb 15, 2003

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) - Bahraini authorities have broken up an alleged terrorist ring that was planning attacks in the closely U.S.-allied Gulf kingdom, the official Bahrain News Agency reported Saturday.
The agency, quoting an unidentified Bahraini official, said five Bahraini men were arrested in a swoop for plotting terrorist acts against the island's "national interests and endangering the lives of innocent citizens."

Police also seized weapons and ammunition that the detainees were planning to use in their "terrorist activities," the official told the agency.

It was not clear if the men were acting alone or were part of a larger terrorist network. The detentions are the first terrorism-related arrests made in Bahrain since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The Associated Press was not immediately able to contact Bahraini officials for comment.

Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and host to 4,000 American military personnel. The Gulf island may play a role in the event of a U.S. military attack on Iraq.

Last month, U.S. Navy chiefs ordered the deployment of high-speed Navy patrol cutters to the Gulf to protect U.S. military ships, oil tankers and command vessels from suicide bomb threats.

With anti-U.S. sentiment growing in the Gulf region over American plans to attack Iraq over allegations it possesses weapons of mass destruction, military planners are acting cautiously to prevent attacks like the 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, which killed 17 U.S. sailors.

The official Bahrain agency did not say when the five men were arrested but said investigations are ongoing to determine if they were operating alone or with a a larger group.

AP-ES-02-15-03 0854EST

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