People's awareness of the dangers of extremism is essential in combating terrorism, according to Bahrain’s Information Affairs Minister Isa Al Hammadi.

He said Bahrain was prepared to tackle all security challenges and that high-tech equipment was already available to secure borders, places of worship and public places, reported the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The GDN reported yesterday that new security measures were announced following deadly bombings in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

“The war on terrorism has been stepped up and we are fighting alongside the international community to combat it, whether it is the Islamic State (IS) or Houthis in Yemen,” said Al Hammadi, who is also the official government spokesman.

“Those groups claim they represent Islam but they are not because Muslims don’t do what they are doing.

“Bahrain’s Interior Ministry is working to secure the country from any terror threat alongside other GCC countries, not just Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and we are on top of things.

“The information on the coward terrorist who bombed Imam Al Sadiq Mosque on Friday in Kuwait was provided by us since he was in transit at Bahrain International Airport.

“Our security is tight at the airport and we check things thoroughly, but we can’t take action against someone travelling normally.”

The Press conference was held at the Gudaibiya Palace following the weekly Cabinet session yesterday, where Al Hammadi also spoke of security being stepped up across the world following attacks in France and Tunisia.

“In Bahrain, we are operating normally despite increasing alert because we don’t want to disrupt people’s lives,” he said.

“We don’t need to get more surveillance or security devices and no new ones will be imported for now – what we have are enough, we need people to be aware about the dangers surrounding us and them.

“The current equipment will be divided by the Interior Ministry on mosques with volunteers being called in to help.”

Twenty-seven people were killed in Friday’s suicide bombing at Kuwait’s Imam Al Sadiq Mosque, which also injured more than 200 people.

Saudi suicide bomber Fahad Suleiman Abdulmohsen Al Gabbaa has been identified as the man responsible for the Kuwait blast.

Authorities said he arrived in Kuwait on a Gulf Air flight from Riyadh via Bahrain.

The attack followed the May 22 bombing at a mosque in Saudi’s Eastern Province where 21 people died, while two security guards were killed as they foiled another attempted suicide bombing at a Saudi mosque a week later.

IS has claimed responsibility for all three attacks targeting Shi’ite mosques.

Concerning approval of the general budget, Al Hammadi underscored ongoing co-operation between the executive and legislative branches in this regard, commending the keenness of the legislature to study all related details to achieve citizens’ aspirations while taking into consideration the volatility of oil prices. - TradeArabia News Service