Bahraini forces launch massive security crackdown on Diraz, expels citizens from their homes

According to activists from the village of Al-Dair, security forces were deployed in the northern neighborhood of the town at 3 am on Friday (June 23, 2017), raiding a number of houses and ordering their owners to leave their homes for different reasons.

Security forces told one of the Diraz residents that his house contained weapons and explosives, while notified another that the house had to be vacated for hours to be searched. Owners of another house were asked to leave by the security forces and told that they it intended to rent it.

Reports say that a woman was arrested from one of the houses that had been seized, and when her brothers went to check with the security forces and inquire about the reason for her detention, they were also arrested.

According to the media youth committee of Al-Dair village, there were a large number of Interior Ministry vehicles deployed, including 7 military vehicles, 3 buses carrying Interior Ministry personnel, and Special Forces "Commandos" vehicles, with more than 300 civilians of linked to the ministry.

Activists fear that the security operation will be followed by an announcement of an alleged cell that might lead to large-scale arrests.