Bahrain Foils King Fahd Causeway Bomb Plot

16/02/2013

By Abeed al Suhaimy

Manama, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Bahraini Interior Ministry revealed that authorities had safely defused an explosive device discovered on the King Fahd Causeway that links the country to Saudi Arabia, preventing a major disaster. The Interior Ministry revealed that this bomb weighed approximately 2 kg and was discovered on Thursday near a mosque on the Bahraini side of the bridge which is used by thousands of people on a daily basis.A Bahraini security source, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the bomb was made of highly explosive materials adding that the materials used in this bomb, and the place where it was discovered, indicates a huge leap forward in terms of the terrorist operations normally seen in Bahrain.
The explosive was placed inside an aluminum cooking pot along with nails and other shrapnel in order to cause the greatest damage and loss of life.
The Bahraini security source linked this foiled terrorist plot with the second anniversary of the 2011 Bahrain unrest and the deployment of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Peninsula Shield to restore order to the country. The source said, “The terrorist cell sought to blow up the King Fahd Causeway as this was the way in which the Peninsula Shield troops entered Bahrain.”
He added, “They (the terrorists) view the Peninsula Shield troops that remain stationed in the country as an occupying force from Saudi Arabia and the King Fahd Causeway as a symbol of Saudi hegemony.”
The Bahraini security source was keen to stress that the bomb—in terms of its size and the explosives used to make it—posed no real threat to the King Fahd Causeway. He said that the bomb intended to cause the greatest loss of life and disrupt traffic on the bridge.
The King Fahd Causeway is made up of 5 bridges, totaling 25 km, connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. There is a Border Station located along the Causeway which includes a number of government directorates and authorities, as well as two mosques, and restaurants and services.
The Bahraini security source informed Asharq Al-Awsat that this foiled terrorist attack is related to the terrorist cell that was arrested in November 2011 and which was seeking to target the Saudi embassy in Bahrain, among other targets.
Bahrain public security chief Major General Tariq Hassan al-Hassan said that the bomb squad had been able to successfully defuse the explosive device, averting major loss of life. He revealed that Bahraini security had received a call at 4 pm on Thursday informing them that a cleaner had found a suspicious package.