Bahrain dismantles spy network linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, arrests 41

Bahrain’s interior ministry on Saturday (May 9) said that it has uncovered a spying network linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and arrested 41 of its suspected members. It said that the country’s security services had dismantled an organisation accused of having Iranian connections. This comes as tension in West Asia remains high, with a looming uncertainty over a deal between the United States and Iran to end the war.

Bahrain hosts a major US military base that was hard-hit by Iranian attacks when Tehran retaliated across the Gulf following the US and Israeli strikes.

“In accordance with previous investigations carried out by the prosecutor's office in cases of espionage on behalf of foreign entities and sympathy for Iranian aggression, the security services dismantled an organisation linked to the Revolutionary Guards,” the ministry said in a statement.

Human rights activists allege authorities targeting Shia religious figures

Bahrain, which is a Sunni-ruled nation, has a large Shia population. Human rights activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei said earlier on X that authorities had carried out “arrests against some of the country's most prominent Shia religious figures.”

“This move is unprecedented and has not occurred on this scale even during the peak of the 2011 repression,” said Alwadaei of London-based NGO Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD).

Earlier in 2011, the Gulf nation witnessed massive protests demanding an elected government, triggering a widespread crackdown on dissent. The ruling family accused Tehran of training and backing the protesters in an attempt to topple the government, allegations that Iran strongly denied. Since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, Bahrain has intensified its crackdown on individuals expressing support or sympathy for Tehran.

According to Human Rights Watch, dozens of people were arrested in March. Last month, the kingdom revoked the citizenship of 69 individuals accused of supporting Tehran, while on Thursday, parliament expelled three lawmakers who opposed a royal decree related to citizenship cases.

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