Bahrain Accuses Iran of Coup Plot
This Persian Gulf state has arrested 29 militants who the government says were trained by Iran to topple the ruling Khalifa family and install a Shiite Muslim government modeled on Iran.
Bahrain’s information minister, Mohammed Mutawa, said Monday that the detainees confessed last month and detailed their links to Iran. He did not disclose when the arrests took place.
Iran denied the accusations Monday, calling them “totally baseless.”
Mutawa said caches of light weapons were seized from the alleged plotters, who he said were trained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
A slight majority of Bahrain’s 500,000 people are Shiites, many of Iranian origin, but the ruling family belongs to the mainstream Sunni Muslim sect.
Mutawa said that Bahrain was recalling its ambassador from Tehran but will not sever ties.
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