Bahrain says arrested 41 members of Iran-linked group

Summary

As many as 41 members of a group linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were arrested in Bahrain, the country’s Interior Ministry said on Saturday, state news agency BNA reported. The action was the outcome of security reports and investigations carried out by public prosecutors into cases of espionage and foreign interference. Legal procedures against the detainees are ongoing, while search and investigation operations continue “against anyone proven to be involved in the activities of this organization or in acts that violate the law.” Bahraini authorities also arrested individuals earlier they said were linked to the IRGC amid regional escalation that started with US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. In response, Tehran retaliated with strikes against Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by Trump without a set deadline, giving way to diplomacy. READ: Bahrain king orders more citizenship revocations over ‘support’ for Iran attacks