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Dummy explosive raises alarmJun 28, 2012 (Gulf Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A DUMMY explosive device planted by thugs caused havoc in Manama yesterday. Police teams and explosives experts were dispatched to Juffair after a "suspicious looking" object was found on the Al Fateh Highway. It brought traffic to a standstill for about 30 minutes, resulting in massive tailbacks. The Interior Ministry would only confirm "groups of thugs" blocked several roads and legal procedures were taken to clear traffic, but sources said saboteurs planted the dummy bomb and set tyres on fire before fleeing the scene. "A group of thugs burned tyres on Al Fateh road. Police at the scene to reopen the road," said the ministry on its official Twitter account. However, policemen stationed near the location said the device was discovered near the highway at 10.15am, which was removed by the bomb squad. "There was a device, but no explosion," said a Public Security police officer. "A fire was burning across both sides of the road and the police blocked the road to clear it. "It all took about 30 minutes and the fire was put out and the device was taken back to the Interior Ministry." People who worked in the area told the GDN they also saw fire engines on the scene in preparation for an explosion. "I was looking through my window and saw the Civil Defence trucks going down the road and the end of the road was blocked," said Style Office Furniture general manager Tawfiq Kamal. "I didn't see any smoke or fire though." Another witness described seeing the bomb squad using a robot. "The two roads were blocked by two big police cabs," he said. "They took the robot out of one of the cabs and put it on the road and began driving it towards the intersection. "I didn't see any fire or smoke." However, others said they heard an explosion when police approached the device, claiming it was not a dud bomb. "The explosion was more of a bang than a fire," said one expatriate, who works in the area. "After the explosion the bomb squad moved in and cleared the shrapnel and about 10 minutes later traffic was flowing and back to normal." [email protected] ___ (c)2012 the Gulf Daily News (Manama, Bahrain) Visit the Gulf Daily News (Manama, Bahrain) at www.gulf-daily-news.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |