One of the country's leading publishers yesterday called for Bahrain to follow Britain's lead and put human rights concerns to one side when combating terrorism.

Speaking on Channel 55, Akhbar Al Khaleej chairman and editor-in-chief Anwar Abdulrahman said some human rights societies were controlled by "invisible hands" and called for more police powers in the wake of Monday's bomb attack in Daih that killed three policemen, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

"Human rights societies have invisible hands controlling them and they bark like Alsatians," he said.

"The first thing (we care about) is the safety and welfare of the society.

"Foreign countries don't give a damn about us.

"Where are the rights of these officers? Of their families, wives and children?"

Abdulrahman believes the attacks were planned by religious authorities, who are attempting to overthrow Bahrain's leadership.

"They are trying to topple the regime, which they tried and failed (to do) in 2011," he said.

"It's time for the police to be given full authority.

"The task is not easy - society allowed these criminals to grow.

"All I'm saying is that it's time for the intelligentsia of Bahrain, Sunni and Shia to stand united.

"We need new faces to come and talk. There are old voices and very few young ones.

"If good men and society don't talk, then bad men will be free to act."

During the 2011 London riots, British Prime Minister David Cameron said that "we will not let any phoney concerns about human rights get in the way when our country is in danger".

Abdulrahman said the police must be put first because they will not be able to implement the law if they are not protected.

"There are two countries responsible for what's happening in Bahrain - the US and Britain," he said.

"They are housing people who preached from the West.

"They should all be deprived of immunity.

"It's time for the US to make clear (which side it is on) - on the one hand, it says it's with Bahrain, but on the other it is organising trips for protesters to go to the US."

He described Al Wefaq National Islamic Society as a "lying machine" and "stooges of Iran" accepting orders from them and willing to "hand them the country." - TradeArabia News Service