Fourteen people have been arrested for plotting attacks on the Bahraini capital Manama, Bahrain's interior minister said on Saturday. Sheikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa told reporters that those arrested have been trained in weapons and explosives in Syria and were planning to attack commercial sites, the diplomatic district and night clubs in Manama on the Dec. 17 national holiday. The Gulf island state is a close US ally and also hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet. Bahrain was in contact with Syria over the possible presence of a militant cell on its territory and there had been several requests for information, the minister said. “Because we are care about our relationships, we are going to discuss with our brothers how to coordinate efforts to prevent misuse of Syria for illegal activities,” he said. Syrian authorities could not be reach for comment. The leaders of the cell, said Al Khalifa, are two Bahrainis residing in London. He did not give any further details about them. The minister said that suspects traveled to Syria as tourists in July and August and then met with one of the two cell leaders. “There they received intensive training on making explosives, bombs, how to use them and how to make car bombs,” the minister told reporters.
