Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — Bahrain has reported a plan for mass-casualty attacks.

Prosecutors said Shi’ite insurgents planned what could have been the
most lethal attacks on the Gulf Cooperation Council kingdom in decades. They
said the insurgents targeted major facilities in Bahrain for bombings in
2013.

“Two of the defendants who headed the cell sent messages to each other
on the BlackBerry service about detonating explosives at Bahrain’s National Stadium during the Jan. 21 Gulf Cup (soccer tournament),” a statement by prosecutors said.

The government has accused Iran of helping Shi’ites in an escalation of
the revolt in Bahrain. On April 14, four bombs exploded around Manama in an attack claimed by the Coalition of February 14 Youth.

“February 14 revolutionaries have completed the operation by carrying
out the explosion,” the group said in a statement. “Our message is clear. We will continue the escalation according to our planned operations.”

In a hearing at the High Criminal Court, prosecutors said the 10
defendants, only four of whom were in custody, planned to install the
explosives in ordinary household goods. They said other targets included the Interior Ministry, police base and a mini-bus in Sitra. The trial, the last hearing of which took place on April 14, was adjourned until May 20.

“They also planned to fill cooking pots with explosive devices and were
going to detonate them remotely using a mobile device,” the statement said.

Prosecutors also alleged that the defendants, all of whom pleaded not
guilty, planned to use hot air balloons to disrupt flights around Bahrain
International Airport in January. They said the plot was meant to
target flights to Bahrain during the Gulf Cup.

“The defendants planned to fly multiple hot air balloons in the
airport’s flying zone in an attempt to cripple Bahrain’s aviation system,”
the statement said.

  2013 Gulf Cup, Bombings in Bahrain tied to terror cell targeting major facilities, Coalition of February 14 Youth, events, Shi’ite insurgents, Sitra