MINISTER OF INTERIOR: FOUR EXTREMISTS TO BE TRIED

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001564

SIPDIS

NOFORN

STATE FOR DS/IP/NEA, DS/ITA, DS/ATA, NEA/ARPI, S/CT, INL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2014
TAGS: ASEC BA PINR PREL PTER
SUBJECT: MINISTER OF INTERIOR: FOUR EXTREMISTS TO BE TRIED

Classified By: AMBASSADOR WILLIAM T. MONROE FOR REASONS 1.4 (c) and (d)


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SUMMARY
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1. (S/NF) Minister of the Interior Shaikh Rashid assured the
Ambassador October 11, 2004 that the four extremists
currently in detention would appear in court shortly, and
that he had anticiapted they would be brought to trial. (On
October 13, BNSA advised the Embassy that the four will
continue to be held until November 1, at which time they will
be brought to court for trial.) Also during the meeting, the
Minister discussed this week's GCC Interior Ministers meeting
in Kuwait, during which he met bilaterally with his Saudi
counterpart. Shaykh Rashid said Bahrain would take a
proactive role in GCC security cooperation,including a
possible follow-on meeting in Manama. The Minister described
Bahrain as a safe place and assured continuing security
cooperation between Bahrain and the U.S. The Minister
expressed interest in improving Bahrain's consequence
management capability and strengthening the country's Coast
Guard. End Summary.

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THE FAMOUS FOUR
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2. (S/NF) During an October 11 call on Minister of Interior
Shaykh Rashid bin Abdulla al Khalifa, the Ambassador asked
about the next step for the four extremists whose current
term of detention was expected to expire this week. Shaikh
Rashid advised that the Attorney General will take the case
to court. The four will likely be seen by a judge on October
12 for a hearing. (NOTE: BSNA advised late on October 13 that
it was decided to extend the detention until November 1, at
which time they will be brought to court for trial.) The
Minister expressed his expectation that the four should be
kept in jail for some time. In any event, he added,
community support for them has dwindled, and they are no
longer famous. Shaikh Rashid stated that they have a
cooperative witness in the group and are monitoring the two
men who were released last month and the four in custody.
The Ambassador commented that the men must be brought into
court and a trial held. This will send a message to the
extremist leadership that Bahrain is not a place where
terrorists can operate. He further inquired about the
interrogation of the men while in custody. (NOTE: The
Attorney General's office has not conducted effective
interrogations of the four men). The Minister said he was
transferring one of his senior officers to the Attorney
General's Office to improve performance in that office. The
Minister offered to call the Ambassador with news regarding
the status of the four extremists.

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THE GCC MEETING
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3. (S) Shaikh Rashid had returned to Bahrain on October 10
from a GCC Interior Minister's meeting in Kuwait. He
described a bilateral meeting with the Saudi Minister of
Interior regarding security in the Kingdom. Both countries
are working together on the terrorism problem, but it will
take some time to resolve. He added that Bahrain and Saudi
Arabia are cooperating and exchanging information on
terrorists. The Saudi Royal family is getting stronger, in
the Minister's opinion, by working with the people. All GCC
Ministers agreed to exchange information and demonstrate
resolve in the fight against terrorism. Shaikh Rashid
indicated Bahrain would take a proactive role in GCC
cooperation on security issues, inculding a probable
follow-on meeting in Bahrain.

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SECURITY COOPERATION
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4. (S) The Ambassador underscored the importance of security
cooperation and sharing intelligence between Bahrain and the
U.S. The Minister assured the GoB's full support. Shaikh
Rashid wants to improve Bahrain's consequence management
capability and strengthen the Coast Guard by adding more
land, sea and air capability. RSO reviewed the July 2004
Coast Guard training program provided by DS/ATA and the
robust schedule of ATA courses planned in 2004 and 2005.
Major General Abdul Latif al Zayani mentioned the Deep Water
Program, designed to integrate existing systems and improve
the Coast Guard fleet of ships and aircraft. (NOTE: Post
will explore the Deep Water Program and what it can provide
for the MOI). The Ambassador thanked the Minister for the
excellent security support provided for the SECDEF and 18
Ministers of Defense visit to Bahrain (10/10-11) along with
the CNO's visit (10/11-12).

MONROE