Mosques will also be closed after each prayer session so that caretakers can sweep places of worship for suspicious objects, while legal action is being threatened against anyone promoting an extremist agenda, said a report in the Gulf Daily News.
Field visits will be conducted at places of worship to assess security requirements.
Each governorate will also be required to nominate residents to be registered at the security directorates as volunteers, who will be trained in first aid and rescue services.
The new measures were announced yesterday by the Interior Ministry, after the heads of authorities responsible for both Shi’ite and Sunni mosques met Interior Minister Lieutenant General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.
During the meeting with Sunni Endowments (Waqf) Directorate chairman Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa and Jaffari Endowments Directorate chairman Sheikh Mohsen Al Asfoor, the Minister said action was needed to ensure similar attacks did not take place in Bahrain.
He added security personnel were being assigned to safeguard mosque security.
“Those who attended the meeting also discussed the installation of CCTV cameras and utilizing other modern technologies to secure places of worship and their surroundings,” said a Ministry statement.
Meanwhile, Parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Defense and National Security Committee Vice Chairman MP Jamal Bu Hassan said reassurances had been sought from Bahraini security chiefs even before 27 people were killed in Friday’s suicide bombing at Kuwait’s Imam Al Sadiq Mosque.
He revealed MPs were told there was also an increased police presence at malls and markets during a meeting with Lt-Gen Sheikh Rashid, following the bombing at a Saudi mosque on May 22.
Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for all three attacks targeting Shi’ite mosques.
“Security is now the top priority and all routes for these people (IS) into the country are being cut. There is more security at the borders and more stringent checks,” Bu Hassan said.
