Interior Minister briefs MPs about security situation

Manama, June 18 (BNA): As part of on-going consultation and coordination with the legislative branch, First Deputy Speaker of the Council of Representatives Ali Al Aradi met Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, in the presence of members of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee, MPs and Chief of Public Security Major-General Tariq Al Hassan. Al-Aradi expressed thanks and appreciation to the Interior Minister for his initiative to update the council on the security situation. He highlighted the arrest of members of a terrorist group and the foiling of its operations to illustrate the preparedness and success of the police. He expressed his thanks and appreciation to the minister and all policemen for their ongoing national efforts. He affirmed the support of the Council of Representatives for the security institutions through the approval of the government's action plan and the discussion of the state budget, highlighting that what is happening locally and regionally requires reinforcement of community and international partnerships to fight terrorism. He also said legal and legislative steps are required against those who support and incite terrorists. He renewed the readiness of the council for more cooperation and coordination with the Interior Ministry to maintain security and stability and protect the citizens and residents of Bahrain. The Interior Minister expressed thanks and appreciation to the Council of Representatives, and delivered the following speech: "In the name of God the Merciful "First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Representatives, brother Ali Al Aradi "Brothers Members of the Council of Representatives "Peace, mercy and blessings of God, "I would like to start by wishing you a happy Ramadan and may God shower us with His blessings on this auspicious occasion. I take this opportunity to inform you about the latest developments regarding the security situation. "Last month a blast occurred in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia in the Qudaih area. This was followed by another foiled blast at Al Anoud mosque in Damman. The two incidents targeted mosques of Shiites and caused the death of many innocent people. "Here, in Bahrain, we are dealing with individuals who are Shiites who have received training in killings, terrorism, and weapons and explosives smuggling. In the same context, let me remind you of the seizure of items from a workshop of explosives in Salmabad in 2012 and the foiling of the smuggling of explosives by boat in 2013. This year, there have been three main cases. First, Bahrain Customs seized explosive-making materials coming from Iraq on King Fahad Causeway. In the second case, Saudi Customs foiled the attempt to smuggle explosives from Bahrain. In the third case, security authorities uncovered a terrorist group, "Saraya Al Ashtar," whose members received terrorism training in Iraq and Iran. "But I want to inform the Council about the latest operation - the discovery of a warehouse in Dar Kulaib village with high explosives and bomb-making materials. The operation was conducted by task group of security agencies after investigations were launched following the attempt to smuggle explosives into Saudi Arabia. By the Grace of God, the warehouse was found and terrorism operations that were planned using the explosives were foiled. The warehouse was located in an inhabited area and the explosives were highly sensitive. If a blast had occurred, God forbid, they could have been victims within hundreds of metres of the warehouse. Brothers, "The aforementioned facts show the extent of the threats to our our internal security. We are facing operations that involved training, financing and supplying explosives to some individuals; this requires us to consider the situation seriously and take all required steps to fight the issue by building relationships within the community and overcoming sectarian obstacles. We need initiatives to strengthen our internal front. The danger becomes bigger if we don't strengthen our internal front. We cannot allow our national bonding to be impacted by extremists serving foreign agendas. While we draw strength from God, we need patriotic stances and commitment from our national elites to face sectarian terrorism. "You are aware that the reform and democracy processes were hijacked under the guise of freedom of expression and human rights. Using these terms, some people promoted illegal practices, established illegal entities and politicised religious platforms. "Today after the 2011 incidents and the events that followed, the picture has become much clearer and the options are more decisive. There is no place for an alternate government to be set up outside the existing government by an illegal entity that thinks it is above the law. We have authorities and organizations that were established in accordance with the laws and the constitution. "By grace of God we are living in a country with solid foundations under the leadership of His Majesty the King, the head of the state, may God protect him. In response to police torture and violence allegations, those who study the security and legal situation in Bahrain find that the police have undergone major developments that qualifies it to be among developed countries that provide comprehensive security and justice for all. There is the Office of the Ombudsmen, the Special Investigation Unit at the Public Prosecution, the Commission of the Rights of Prisoners and Detainees and the National Institution for Human Rights. They are pioneer security, legal and political reforms that reinforce just security. This summarizes the approach of HM the King when he said at the beginning of my appointment "remember you are for all". Such wise and just words affirmed my position on the path of justice and righteousness. "In regard to tackling the violent incident in Jau prison, this calls for expressing thanks and appreciation to the policemen who dealt professionally with the situation and showed high levels of discipline and heroism, instead of targeting them with blame and criticism. "Regarding the reduction of the budget of the Interior Ministry, I did not expect this from the Council of Representatives which should have rewarded the men who lost their lives or were wounded for the sake of Bahrain security. "Police continue to work round the clock to sincerely perform their work regardless of teh reduction of the public security budget as decided by the government. This reminded us of 2007 when a five-year BD150 million budget to develop the Interior Ministry was presented and we received the approval of the Finance and Economic Committees of the Representatives and Shura Councils. This helped in preparing and training policemen, hence helping us to deal with security developments after that. "Finally, I affirm the importance of active participation in building a secure future of this nation. Those with this approach should let go of sectarianism and extremism and hold on to the Bahraini and Arab identity. I wish the best to all and cooperation in serving the nation under the leadership of HM the King. Ramadan Kareem Peace, mercy and blessings of God". The Chief of Public Security briefed the attendees on the efforts of the Interior Ministry to achieve security and stability, highlighting the foiling of a series of terrorist acts and the confiscation of explosives and bomb-making materials between 2012 and 2015. He highlighted a number of dangerous security operations and stated that most of the suspects were arrested through coordination between the concerned security authorities. He highlighted that the remaining fugitives are being chased in cooperation with Interpol. MPs offered sincere thanks and appreciation of the efforts of the Interior Ministry and acknowledged the many sacrifices of policemen. They stated that their efforts required support in all aspects, hailing cooperation between the legislative and executive to serve the supreme national interests and protection of security and stability. They committed to giving that support to the proposed projects by giving them priority in the coming phase.