MANAMA, Bahrain, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- An alleged terrorist network was uncovered in Bahrain that involved 23 people operating with international support, the government announced.
The public prosecutor's office in Bahrain said it charged 23 nationals with plotting a "campaign of violence" and "subversion" in the kingdom.
The prosecutor's office said in a statement that Abduljalil al-Singace, the alleged ringleader of the cell, led a group of civil servants and professionals who were organized as a "sophisticated terrorist network with international support."
Prosecutor Abdulrahman al-Sayed was quoted by the state-run Bahrain News Agency as saying the suspects allegedly conducted secret meetings in Bahrain and abroad and planned to "change the political regime through illegal means."
The statement from Bahrain said the men were also accused of misappropriating the traditional religious levy and using charities as fronts to raise money for their operations.
Most of the suspects are members of the Movement of Liberties and Democracy, a splinter group of the main Shiite political organization, the Islamic National Accord Association, BNA added.
Arrests of the suspects began Aug. 13 following intelligence operations carried out by Bahrain's National Security Agency
