ISLAMIC YOUTHS CONDUCT FIERY RAMPAGE AT A MANAMA

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000389

SIPDIS

FOR DS/IP/NEA AND DS/ITA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2014
TAGS: ASEC BA
SUBJECT: ISLAMIC YOUTHS CONDUCT FIERY RAMPAGE AT A MANAMA
RESTAURANT

Classified By: CHARGE ROBERT FORD FOR REASONS 1.4 (c)


1. (C) Bahrain Police sources advised RSO that an enraged
crowd of 50 or more Islamist teenagers ransacked La Terrasse
restaurant for serving alcohol and burned the cars of seven
customers in Manama on Wednesday March 17. Conservative
Muslim youths assembled from five villages (Adari, Jid Hafs,
Sanabis, Chamis and Tashan) in the surrounding area once the
mayhem began, swelling their number beyond 200.


2. (C) The juvenile offenders came prepared with knives,
rocks and molotov cocktails. The largest vehicle damaged, a
Cadillac SUV with Saudi plates, was rolled on its side and
torched. RSO observed five vehicles burned and two damaged in
the restaurant parking lot on Thursday morning. Most of the
vehicles had Saudi license plates. The La Terrasse is a nice
restaurant surrounded by predominantly Shia neighborhoods. It
is common knowledge that alcohol is served at this expensive
eatery, but it does not have the unsavory reputation of the
establishments attacked last week.


3. (C) The police arrested 12 of the teenagers Wednesday
evening and detained 4 more for questioning on March 19
according to the Officer in Charge of the Sanabis Police
Station. The officer further commented that the
Undersecretary, Ministry of Interior, Shaikh Daij ordered
police to identify the principals and make arrests. The
police responded to the restaurant in adequate numbers but
did not disperse the crowd quickly.


4. (C) COMMENT: This is the second violent anti-alcohol and
prostitution confrontation with businessmen in as many weeks.
Manama has been calm since the March 17 incident. The GOB has
put on a heavy media campaign to denounce this kind of street
action against perceived dens of inequity.

FORD