MANAMA: Bahrain’s Chief of Public Security, Major-General Tariq bin Hassan Al Hassan said the Kingdom’s recent security operation “The Axe”, aimed at identifying, arresting terrorists and recovering huge caches of arms and ammunition, was a great success.
The Police Chief told a Press conference that operation was a part of counter-terrorism efforts, the security authorities have carried out a proactive security operation – codenamed “The Axe” – intended to apprehend members of the terrorist organisation, Saraya Al Ashtar.
The operation was successful, with several terrorists detained. In addition, bomb making equipment and high-grade explosives were discovered and neutralised in an intelligence-led raid on a suspected storage site in Al Dair.
A preliminary investigation revealed that members of the terrorist group had filmed bomb-making experiments and then sent those videos to known terrorism leaders in Iran, to improve manufacturing operations. After the Public Prosecutor was notified and the appropriate security and legal procedures had been undertaken, counter-terrorism and anti-explosive teams were deployed to the site to take the necessary steps to secure the area. The forensic team gathered samples of the explosives to determine their types in order to remove them to a safe location. The crime scene team classified and seized the explosives in the presence of the Public Prosecutor.
Up to 52 KG of high-grade TNT explosives, including C4, urea nitrate, ammonium nitrate and raw materials, were discovered at the scene. Explosives experts estimated that the equipment had a potential to impact a 600 metre radius, posing a significant threat to the surrounding residential area.
Laboratory tests revealed that many of the seized explosives could not have been made in Bahrain. In addition, certain materials were linked to those seized during several other recent cases, including Dar Kulaib warehouse case in June 2015.
