BREAKING NEWS

Bahrain accuses 169 of forming another Hezbollah

DUBAI - Bahrain charged 169 people on Tuesday suspected of forming "Bahrain's Hezbollah," a local version of the armed Shi'ite group, which prosecutors said was trained and backed by Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
The announcement follows scores of arrests and harsh penalties imposed in the Western-allied Gulf state on defendants accused by the authorities of militancy, who activists say are mostly peaceful opposition members.
A statement carried by the state news agency BNA said the prosecutor charged 169 defendants, including 111 who had already been arrested. They were accused of forming a terrorist group, planning assassinations and receiving training in handling weapons and manufacturing explosives.
"The Public Prosecution had been informed by the Department of criminal investigation ...that Iran's Revolutionary Guards have ordered some of their members to work on unifying different Bahraini militant groups," the statement said.