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Bahraini authorities have arrested two men they suspect of plotting attacks in the kingdom and neighbouring Gulf countries, the Interior Ministry said.
Interior Minister Shaikh Rashed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said the suspects were arrested on April 26 in a police raid which recovered two AK-47 assault rifles and a pistol, with ammunition and knives.
"(The) terror cell was plotting and preparing for terror attacks in Bahrain and some Gulf countries," he said in a statement carried by the official BNA news agency late on Thursday.
The two suspects have been remanded in custody for 15 days for further questioning and while investigations continue. He also warned Bahrainis against 'the danger of terrorist Internet websites that aim to mislead the youth and indoctrinate them with extremist ideas, to attract them into terrorist organisations'.
Both men are aged 22 from East Riffa. One works for the Interior Ministry and the other is unemployed.
Lawyer Abdullah Hashem, who is representing one of the two suspects, claimed the two men were not linked to any organisation and had not plotted any attacks, despite reports that both men had confessed during interrogation and allegedly gave names of accomplices in other countries.
"It was just a friendship between two men who shared the same beliefs," he said, adding that they 'do not belong to any organisation or any local group'.
"There were no plots or any specific targets," he said, claiming that the two men had kept the weapons only because they considered them to be 'manly and heroic'.
Foreign Embassies have been discussing the latest incidents and have decided not to issue any special alerts to expats living in the kingdom.
UK ambassador Jamie Bowden told GulfWeekly: "We considered this issue this week and compared notes with other embassies. On the basis of the information that we have, we don't consider that the level of threat has changed and will not be issuing a notice and will not be changing our current travel advice. The relevant bit is that there remains a general threat from terrorism in Bahrain.
"Terrorists continue to issue statements threatening to carry out attacks in the Gulf region. Attacks could be indiscriminate, and against Western, including British, interests, as well as against civilian targets, including places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
"You should maintain a high level of security awareness, particularly in public places, and avoid large gatherings and demonstrations. British nationals who are travelling to, or are currently in Bahrain, are advised to register with the British Embassy."
