On December 30, 2013, for example, Bahraini officials seized a weapons shipment that Iranian authorities had apparently tried to smuggle into Bahrain. And while U.S. diplomats might protest the arrest of Ali Salman, the leader of Wifaq, Bahrain’s largest Shi‘ite opposition party, it is worrying that Hezbollah’s Al Manar media company distributes CDs of his speeches set to religious music.
Against the backdrop of the Obama administration’s outreach if not surrender to Iran, it seems Iranian authorities are ramping up their aggression toward their neighbor across the Persian Gulf. On June 18, 2015, Bahrain’s chief of police announced the seizure of “significant quantities” of explosives and bomb-making materials destined for use against Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. From the Bahraini Embassy’s press release:
The raid on a house in Dar Kulaib on 6th June, in the south west of the island, came as a result of forensic intelligence gathered by Bahrain’s security forces following the seizure in May of a vehicle attempting to cross the bridge and contained similar explosives to carry out attacks in Saudi Arabia. Authorities said that the seized weapons, which included large quantities of powerful explosive, C4, in addition to commercial detonators, advanced circuitry, chemicals and mobile phones, represent a significant escalation in attempts to smuggle explosives material into Bahrain. Chief of Police Major-General Tariq Al Hasan said: “These recent developments point to an emerging trend. The professionalism with which these seized materials are assembled and concealed is a clear indication of international support and sponsorship…
He continued to accuse the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of providing training in the use of explosives as well as underwater sabotage. Below is a catalogue of the contraband seized on June 6:
• 92 Kg Urea Nitrate, a fertilizer-based high-explosive commonly used in manufacturing improvised explosive devices (IEDs)
• 10 Kg C-4, a plastic explosive composed mainly of RDX (approximately 90%)
• 4 Kg TATP, also known as Acetone Peroxide, it is a white crystalline powder that is unstable and is used in manufacturing IEDs
• 89 Kg Ammonium Nitrate, a chemical compound used in agriculture and in manufacturing IEDs
• 8 anti-personnel explosives, 6 of which contain metal balls
• 2 PETN Detonators; 4.1 meters long and 10.08 meters long, these are detonator cords that have PETN explosives as their explosive core
• 23 pairs and 1 single commercial detonators
• 66 electronic circuits controlled by infrared
• 67 electronic mobile phone circuits
• 21 Nokia mobile phones
• 3 bags of large metal ball bearings
• Metal molds for containers and lids of EFPs