Bahrain Mirror: The US Department of State announced on Friday (March 17, 2017) that it designated Bahraini nationals Ahmad Hasan Yusuf (30 years old) and Alsayed Murtadha Majeed Ramadhan Alawi (33 years old) as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT).

The State Department said that today's actions follow a recent increase in militant attacks in Bahrain, accusing Iran of providing weapons, funding, and training to militants.

"This marks yet another step in our continued effort to aggressively target Iran's destabilizing and terrorism-related activities in the region. We will continue to stand with Bahrain in addressing these threats," it further added in a statement.

The State Department; however, encouraged the government to clearly differentiate its response to violent militia groups from its engagement with peaceful political opposition.

In its statement, it claimed that Iran backs the Bahrain-based al-Ashtar Brigades (AAB), alleging that "AAB receives funding and support from the Government of Iran - a state sponsor of terrorism."

"AAB has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks - some of which have resulted in casualties - mainly against police and security targets in Bahrain," the statement noted, further pointing out that in March 2014, "AAB conducted a bomb attack that killed two local police officers and an officer from the United Arab Emirates."

It is worth to note that three Bahrainis were executed last January, after being convicted of being behind the bombing and being affiliated to the Al-Ashtar cells in trials that human rights groups stress were based on confessions extracted under torture.

Arabic Version