The 1981 Bahraini coup d'état attempt was a failed
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
which was orchestrated by the
Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain
The Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain ( ar, الجبهة الإسلامية لتحرير البحرين) was a Shi'a Islamist militant group that advocated theocratic rule in Bahrain from 1981 to the 1990s. It was based in Iran and tra ...
which operated with alleged backing from
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
.
Persian Gulf States Table of Contents
''U.S. Library of Congress'' The Bahraini Ministry of Interior arrested 73 individuals who were accused of attempting to overthrow the Bahraini monarchy and install an Islamic republic similar to that in Iran. The plot is viewed as being the first overt attempt at undermining a Persian Gulf government with some measure of Iranian aid.
Coup attempt
The coup was orchestrated by 73 individuals of various nationalities including 60 Bahrainis, 11 Saudis, a Kuwaiti, and an Omani. The Bahrainis had Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...
-associated last names. The individuals had been trained in Iran, had automatic weapons, and some had Bahraini police uniforms, allegedly made in Iran. Iran denied all involvement. According to the government of Bahrain, an Iranian had brought two radios into Bahrain to be used by the plotters.
Reaction
The Bahraini government expelled a number of Iranian diplomats shortly after the arrests. The expulsions included Iranian diplomat Hassan Shushtari Zadeh, the top Iranian diplomat in Bahrain at that time.
See also
*1990s uprising in Bahrain
The 1990s uprising in Bahrain ( ar, الانتفاضة التسعينية في البحرين) also known as the uprising of dignity ( ar, انتفاضة الكرامة) was an uprising in Bahrain between 1994 and 1999 in which leftists, libera ...
*2011 Bahraini uprising
The 2011 Bahraini uprising was a series of anti-government protests in Bahrain led by the Shia-dominant and some Sunni Islam, Sunni minority Bahraini opposition from 2011 until 2014. The protests were inspired by the unrest of the 2011 Arab Spr ...
*Islamic Action Society
The Islamic Action Society ( ar, جمعية العمل الإسلامي ''Jamʿīyah al-ʿAmal al-ʾIslāmī''), sometimes shortened to ʿAmal ( ar, أمل), was one of the main Islamist political parties in Bahrain, and mainly appealed to Shī ...
*Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain
The Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain ( ar, الجبهة الإسلامية لتحرير البحرين) was a Shi'a Islamist militant group that advocated theocratic rule in Bahrain from 1981 to the 1990s. It was based in Iran and tra ...
* Politics of Bahrain
*Bahrain–Iran relations
Bilateral relations exist between the countries of Bahrain and Iran. Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, relations between the two countries have been strained over various geopolitical issues such as the interpretations of Islam, aspirations for le ...
References and notes
External links
The Role of Iran in the Failed Coup of 1981: The IFLB in Bahrain
from ''The Middle East Journal
''The Middle East Journal'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Middle East Institute (Washington, D.C.). It was established in 1947 and covers research on the modern Middle East, including political, economic, and soci ...
''
Conflicts in 1981
Politics of Bahrain
1981 in Bahrain
1980s coups d'état and coup attempts
Attempted coups d'état
Bahrain–Iran relations
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