Authorities in Bahrain said Sunday five alleged members of a terrorist cell had contact with Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards and were planning attacks against high profile sites in the Arab kingdom.
Bahrain's state news agency (BNA) reported the targets included the Saudi Embassy in the capital, Manama, and a Gulf causeway linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
The report came a day after the arrest of four suspects in neighboring Qatar and the fifth inside Bahrain. They were accused of belonging to a "terrorist group with ties to the intelligence service of a foreign country."
BNA quoted a Bahraini prosecutor's office as saying some of the suspects confessed that the group was set up abroad and was in coordination with the the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij militia in Iran. They were ordered held in custody for 60 days while investigations continues.
Bahrain has repeatedly accused mainly Shi'ite Iran of inciting the Shi'ite-led protests against Bahrain's Sunni rulers earlier this year. The government crushed the demonstrations with the help of the Saudi security forces.
Tehran has denied involvement in the unrest in Bahrain.